Keystone Showdown: Battle Over Pipeline Lands Before Nebraska High Court
Photo Credit: ReutersThe national debate on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline will concentrate on Lincoln, Nebraska Friday as that state’s Supreme Court hears arguments in a case examining whether lawmakers short-circuited the regular approval process in an attempt to expedite the pipeline’s construction.
The court’s ruling – not expected for several months — could force President Obama’s hand in making a final decision whether to green light the oft-stalled project.
Protests and political outrage have accompanied the proposed pipeline for years, but quieted down in recent months because of the Nebraska litigation and the Obama administration’s decision to wait for a ruling in the case before moving forward.
“The issue never goes away if you’re dealing with the pipeline on a local level,” anti-pipeline activist Jane Kleeb told Fox News. “While it may not be on the front page of newspapers nationwide, we’re dealing with it on a daily basis.”
Friday’s case before the seven-member court does not examine whether the pipeline should be built in Nebraska – or anywhere else — but rather if the state’s unicameral legislature improperly passed a law giving the governor authority to approve the project rather than the state’s Public Service Commission. It will take a supermajority of five justices to invalidate the law.
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