TransCanada Corp. has asked the U.S. State Dept. to delay making a decision on its $8-billion Keystone XL pipeline project until the Nebraska Public Service Commission rules on the portion of the proposed route that runs through the state. That process could take seven to 12 months.
Russ Girling, TransCanada president and CEO, noted in a Nov. 2 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry that the State Dept. decided last year to suspend its review until lawsuits challenging the alignment through Nebraska were resolved. Former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) approved the route in 2013 without the state commission’s action.