Nebraska regulators have voted in favour of the Keystone XL pipeline in the state, but have requested a slight modification of the path TransCanada's pipeline would take.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission voted 3-2 in favour of the line on Monday morning.
The vote came as the company continues to clean up a spill from the existing line in South Dakota.
Opponents to the project say that it's incidents like those that are the reason the pipeline shouldn't move ahead.
However, the commission was prohibited from evaluating safety concerns as part of its vote.
It focused its ruling on economic and social impacts as well as regulatory compliance instead.
TransCanada's president and CEO Russ Girling says they will be moving ahead by reviewing the ruling and how the alternative route affects the company's cost and schedule for the project.
Jim Carr, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, says that the project will create thousands of positions for Canadians, mainly in Alberta, and strengthen the country's resource industry.
“Canada and the United States share a highly integrated energy market in which environmental and energy security interests are closely linked. U.S. consumers benefit from having a secure and reliable supply of energy at their doorstep. Canada is that source."
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, speaking in Ontario about Alberta's pipeline strategy, offered the following statement on the decision in the Keystone project:
“As we stated in our submission to the Nebraska Public Service Commission, this pipeline will mean greater energy security for all North Americans by making sure people have access to Alberta’s responsibly developed energy resources.
“This is another step in our broader effort to bring more Alberta oil to the world, diversify our markets and maximize the value we as Albertans get. Today, U.S. decision makers carefully considered a pipeline and granted an approval.
“We continue to urge Canadian decision makers to follow this example so we can have access to global markets from Canadian ports, supporting good Canadian jobs. While we are very pleased with Nebraska’s approval, it underscores that Canadian regulators need to keep pace if we are going to build a truly diversified set of markets.”
The vote in favour of the company's proposed route through Nebraska will give a boost to the long-delayed project, which was rejected by President Barack Obama in 2015, citing concerns about carbon pollution.
President Donald Trump revived it in March, approving a permit.
(With files from the Canadian Press)
