LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by landowners who want to overturn the approved route of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The lawsuit challenges a law passed in 2012 that allowed pipeline developer TransCanada to gain approval through the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, who supports the project. Oral arguments begin Friday morning.
Opponents say lawmakers violated the Nebraska constitution by allowing TransCanada to go around the Nebraska Public Service Commission. The 5-member commission, elected by district, regulates “common carriers” such as railroads and taxicabs.
The Nebraska attorney general’s office says the landowners who sued don’t have legal standing to bring the lawsuit. The court has previously said taxpayers may have standing to keep public money from being spent illegally.