LINCOLN, Neb., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- TransCanada has agreed to reroute its Keystone XL oil pipeline to avoid an environmentally sensitive area of Nebraska, a company executive said Monday.
"I can confirm the route will be changed and Nebraskans will play an important role in determining the final route," Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada's president for energy and oil pipelines, said in a statement.
The proposed $7 billion pipeline is to stretch from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. It was to pass through the Sand Hills, which includes the Ogallala Aquifer, which provides drinking water for the Great Plains.
"Moving it out of that Sand Hills region is important," said Matt Boever, a spokesman for state Sen. Mike Flood, who announced the company's change of heart during a special session of the Nebraska Legislature.
Environmentalists had been ratcheting up pressure on the Obama administration to get the pipeline rerouted, The New York Times reported.
TransCanada's agreement to reroute the pipeline follows a Thursday announcement by the State Department that it would delay a final decision on the project until after it reviews the project's environmental impact.
"We look forward to working with TransCanada and the Nebraska Legislature," a State Department spokesman said.
