Keystone XL Pipeline Construction Blocked by Federal Judge

Construction on the $8 billion Keystone XL Pipeline has been blocked by a federal judge in Montana in a move widely seen as a blow to President Trump's energy agenda it was reported Friday.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued an order on Thursday to block construction in an effort to allow more time to study the massive oil pipeline's potential environmental impact. The move comes just as Calgary-based TransCanada was preparing to build the first stages of the oil pipeline in the northern part of Montana. Several environmental groups had sued TransCanada and the federal government to prevent construction from proceeding. 

An analysis of the environmental impact by the government didn't fully study the cumulative effects of greenhouse gas emissions, current oil prices on the pipeline's viability, or updated modeling of potential oil spills, Judge Morris said. 

The 1,184 (1,900-kilometer) pipeline is designed to carry up to 830,000 barrels of crude every day from Alberta, Canada and Montana, to oil refineries in Nebraska. 

Photo: Getty Images


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