Keystone XL pipeline hits court setback

 A federal court on Wednesday delivered a setback to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project, vacating a permit the government had issued for its construction. 

Federal Judge Brian Morris determined that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wrongly issued the permit, saying the Corps did not comply with environmental requirements. 

His decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by conservation and landowners groups last year. 

“The Trump administration has repeatedly violated the law in their relentless pursuit of seeing this dirty tar sands pipeline built,” said a statement from Sierra Club Senior Attorney Doug Hayes, one of the lawyers on the case. 

“Today’s ruling confirms, once again, that there’s just no getting around the fact that Keystone XL would devastate communities, wildlife, and clean drinking water,” Hayes added. “It was true a decade ago, and it’s just as true today: Keystone XL would be a bad deal for the American people and should never be built.”

A statement issued by the Sierra Club said that the decision could prevent construction “through hundreds of water crossings along the Keystone XL pipeline route.”

An official for TC Energy, the company behind the pipeline, told The Hill in a statement that the company was reviewing the ruling.

“We remain committed to building this important energy infrastructure project,” said spokesman Terry Cunha. 

TC said last month that it had planned to proceed with construction of the project.