Nebraska court ruling could mean further Keystone XL delays: official

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration says a Nebraska court decision has forced it to examine whether the Keystone XL pipeline process might have to be delayed once again.

A senior official says numerous lawyers are examining the ruling handed down earlier this week for its possible implications.

Assistant secretary of state Roberta Jacobson says it’s not clear how — or even if — that decision will affect the timing.

The multi-year pipeline debate has been plunged into deeper uncertainty by a court ruling that says the Nebraska state government has acted unconstitutionally.

The verdict says the state had no right to pass a law that gave the governor the power to impose a route against the will of landowners — instead of an independent regulatory body. The state has appealed the decision.

That means that unless the ruling is overturned, the arm’s-length Nebraska agency accepts the route or landowners agree, not even the approval of President Barack Obama would get the project completed.