Transnational pipeline plans may falter

Even if the U.S. State Department approves Trans-Canada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport controversial tar-sands oil from Alberta to Texas, environmental groups may still have hope.

Approval from the State Department would be subject to challenges and appeals, according to media sources. Legal action is expected from various environmental groups who maintain the government has not fully investigated the pipeline’s potential effect on the ecosystem.

However, the biggest hurdle for the project could be winning over legislators in Nebraska, who oppose the pipeline because of its potential negative effect on the underground Ogallala aquifer, a critically important source of fresh water for the central United States.

The Keystone XL has been the subject of heated debate in the nation’s capital; over 2,000 protestors gathered in front of the White House in early September to decry the pipeline’s construction.