A UNO political scientist says even with a court ruling Wednesday on the Keystone XL pipeline, the project will likely be built.
A Lancaster County judge on Wednesday tossed out a 2012 law giving the Governor and environmental regulators the authority to approve or deny oil pipeline routes. Paul Landow teaches Political Science at UNO. He says while it’s a setback, he believes the pipeline will ultimately be approved.
"The only real question is when it will be built, and what route it will take. And actually, that’s what the fighting’s been over, and that’s what the judge’s ruling was about, over who has jurisdiction to decide. So I think in the end, this really won’t make much difference, it’s a setback in terms of time, but not ultimately in terms of whether the pipeline gets built."
Landow says he doesn’t believe the court ruling will influence President Obama’s final decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.