Washington, Nov 20 (EFE). - The state of Nebraska gave the green light to the passage through its territory of a controversial pipeline of almost 1,800 kilometers, known as Keystone XL, although it imposed a alternative route that, according to the company responsible for the project, would make its construction unviable.

The project of the Canadian company TransCanada, which aims to transport 830,000 barrels per day of crude from the Canadian province of Alberta to different parts of the US, was approved in March by President Donald Trump, but he needed Nebraska to accept the passage of the pipeline for their land.

Two years ago, the Supreme Court of the State of Nebraska lifted one of the main legal obstacles to the project by rejecting allegations of owners of land through which this important infrastructure would transit.

However, the project should still receive the approval of the Public Service Commission of the State, which had become the main stumbling block to carry out a project that has been underway for nearly nine years.

The Commission, however, imposes a tour on the company alternative that would avoid the ecological sanctuary of Sandhills, which had already been qualified by the company as impracticable.

"Whatever the route, transport sands tarred by the heart of the United States at the expense of climate and our communities is still unacceptable, "said Michael Brun, executive director of Sierra Club, one in a statement. of the most important environmental groups in the country.

If the company finally decides to continue with the construction of the pipeline, despite the new route imposed, the project he must still get the approval of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Office of Land Management.

In 2015, under the Government of Barack Obama, the State Department prohibited the construction of the pipeline due to its possible environmental impact and the danger that, with its approval, the United States lost its leadership in the global fight against the change climatic.

However, during the 2016 electoral process, Trump campaigned among workers in the US energy sector. mining companies in the country, which felt threatened by the regulations approved by Obama to reduce carbon emissions.

Numerous economists and scientists, on the other hand, reject the Keystone XL, due to its risks to the environment, since tar sands are the densest and most toxic oil on the planet and in the first year of operation of the already built sections the conduits burst 33 times.

In fact, last Friday, another of the aqueducts of the Canadian company suffered a spill of about 795,000 liters of oil as it passed through Dakota. South for causes that the company is still investigating.