A Monday ruling by the Nebraska Public Service Commission approving the passing of the Keystone XL pipeline expansion through the state will not be affected by the recent leak of 210,000 gallons of oil into agricultural land in Marshall County, South Dakota.
A 2011 state law disallows pipeline safety to be taken into consideration on the ruling for the Keystone XL expansion, now facing its final major regulatory hurdle after a considerable number of reviews by local, state and federal authorities, as well as several lawsuits since it was first proposed 9 years ago, in 2008.
The leak is said not to affect drinking water or waterways, but the pipeline was shut down on Thursday to determine the cause of the leak.
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