Pipes to be used for the Keystone XL pipeline are stored in a field near Dorchester.
Pipes to be used for the Keystone XL pipeline are stored at a field near Dorchester. Wednesday, President Biden nixed the controversial project that was first proposed in 2008.
Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline expressed joy over the action by President Joe Biden on Wednesday to revoke approval of the controversial oil pipeline set to flow through Nebraska.
“I can’t stop laughing,” anti-pipeline pioneer Jane Kleeb said. “I always knew this day would come.”
Even though it took 10 years with “lots of tears and setbacks,” she acknowledged.
Kleeb, the Hastings activist who led the way and now is the state's Democratic chairwoman, said victory was finally achieved over the opposition of “the Republican Party, Big Oil and half the Democratic Party.”
There are “lots of lessons” from that, she said, not only about perseverance, but also the strength of “friendships and unlikely relations,” combined with “tears and setbacks” along the way.
“Thank you President Biden and all the thousands of voices who have stood strong these many years,” said Jeanne Crumly, an O’Neill-area rancher whose land was in the path of the pipeline.
But another leading opponent expressed worries that the project, which had been blocked by President Barack Obama then resurrected by President Donald Trump, wasn’t killed forever.
“We have been down this road once before only to have our hopes and expectations crushed with the election of a Republican president,” said Randy Thompson, who became the visible face of the opposition. “As long as this project remains a political football, I will never feel secure in our victory.”
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts encouraged TC Energy, the Canadian corporation developing the 1,700-mile Keystone XL route, to continue fighting for the pipeline.
“Failure to construct the pipeline would mean more dependence on overseas energy sources as well as fewer jobs and less property tax relief for Nebraskans," he said in a statement Wednesday evening. "This is a project that would greatly benefit not just Nebraska but also our whole country, and it is our hope that TC Energy presses forward.”
The presidential permit for the pipeline, proposed more than a decade ago, had allowed the pipeline to cross into the United States.
TC Energy had announced a suspension of work on the project earlier Wednesday, even before Biden had, as expected, taken action.
The energy company said it will review the decision, assess its implications and consider its options. "However, as a result of the expected revocation of the presidential permit, advancement of the project will be suspended."
Canceling the permit was among Biden's first executive actions in office.
After earlier reports surfaced that it would be canceled, TC Energy announced late Sunday it would spend $1.7 billion on a solar, wind and battery-powered operating system for the pipeline to ensure it is zero-emission by 2030, and to rely exclusively on union labor.
The pipeline would carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Alberta's premier, Jason Kenney, said Monday that he would seek legal damages if Biden cancels the permit.
First proposed in 2008, the pipeline has become emblematic of the tensions between economic development and curbing the fossil fuel emissions that are causing climate change. The Obama administration rejected it, but President Trump revived it and has been a strong supporter. Construction has already started.
For a decade, legal and legislative issues have held up the pipeline in Nebraska, although the state's Supreme Court ruled last year in favor of the route through the state that the Public Service Commission approved.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, said Canada needs to move on now that Biden has made a decision.
“Of course we’re disappointed. We worked hard over the past number of months trying to make the case for Keystone XL," Hillman told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
“He (Biden) had made a commitment during his campaign and he lived up to that commitment. I think we have to accept that and move forward.”
PHOTOS: THE KEYSTONE XL SAGA
Danny Ruthenberg-Marshall, Lindsey Halvorson
Danny Ruthenberg-Marshall, left, with 350 DC, and Lindsey Halvorson, 20, a student at American University, gather up signs Feb. 24, 2015, after attending a demonstration outside the White House in support of President Barack Obama vetoing the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Ranchers, farmers, Native Americans join environmentalists to protest the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington
In Washington, D.C., in April 2014, rock star Neil Young (third from left) joins the protest of the Keystone XL pipeline, with Nebraska ranchers and farmers Diana Steskal (second from left) of Atkinson; Art Tanderup (center) of Neligh; and Mike Blocher (third from right) of Antelope County; and Bryan Brewer (second from right), president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge, S.D.; and Chief Horse Looking (far right) of Rosebud, S.D.
Governor's papers
Ron Bouska and Bold Nebraska founder Jane Kleeb examine maps related to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline as they and others combed through the collection of Gov. Dave Heineman's papers on Aug. 25, 2015, at the Nebraska State Historical Library and Museum.
Anti Pipeline Concert
Spectators attend the "Harvest the Hope" concert in Neligh, headlining Neil Young and Willie Nelson, on Sept. 27, 2014. The concert was organized to raise money for efforts to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline.
Keystone plaintiffs
Lead plaintiffs Susan and Bill Dunavan stand with Bold Nebraska's Jane Kleeb (right) in a courtroom in York in February 2015.
Keystone XL arrest
Nebraska cattleman Randy Thompson (right) is arrested in February 2013 at a Keystone XL pipeline protest.
Anti-pipline group challenges Keystone eminent domain
A group of people fighting the Keystone XL pipeline posed for a photo July 27, 2015, outside ,the Holt County Courthouse.
Keystone XL hearing
Omaha attorney Dave Domina addresses York County District Court Judge Mary Gilbride during a Feb. 26, 2015, hearing before she granted a temporary injunction pausing TransCanada's condemnation proceedings against landowners in the path of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Keystone XL
Susan Dunavan (left), Suz Straka and Randy Thompson outside the Nebraska Supreme Courtroom on Sept. 5, 2014. They are the landowners who filed the lawsuit against the pipeline bill being considered.
Keystone Pipeline Opposition
“I don’t even feel like I live in the United States any more,” farmer and cattleman Terry Van Housen said, after pipeline company TransCanada filed eminent domain proceedings to get remaining easements it needs to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Van Housen's land outside of Stromsburg is part of the planned route.
Ponca corn
The Cowboy Indian Alliance has planted sacred Ponca corn in an effort to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline near Neligh.
Willie Nelson, Neil Young
Willie Nelson and Neil Young laugh after performing the folk song "This Land is Your Land" during the Bold Nebraska Harvest the Hope concert on Sept. 27, 2014. The event was held on a farm directly on the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline, which also crosses the historic Ponca Tribe Trail of Tears.
TransCanada Steele City pumping station
Glen Rempe (on platform), a TransCanada pipeline technician, explains the function of the Steele City pumping station for the Keystone XL pipeline to a tour group in September 2014.
Keystone XL
At right, Ken Winston of the Sierra Club claps Sept. 4, 2014, after attorney Dave Domina spoke at the news conference opposing the Keystone XL pipeline.
Climate march
Marchers trekking across the country from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., on the Great March for Climate Action reached the wind- and solar-powered barn in July 2014 built by Bold Nebraska in the path of the Keystone XL pipeline on Saturday.
Keystone pipeline protest
People walk among teepees set up on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2014. The Cowboy and Indian Alliance, a group of ranchers, farmers and indigenous leaders, hosted the encampment all week to protest the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
Opponents carve anti-pipeline message into field
This huge crop art image, pictured in April 2014, lies on the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Keystone XL Pipeline Protest
Demonstrators who strapped themselves to the White House fence in March 2014 chant during a protest against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Ed Schultz
MSNBC news host Ed Schultz stops to talk with Keystone XL pipeline opponents outside of Bold Nebraska's Build Our Energy Barn near Bradshaw in February 2014.
Build Our Energy Barn
Bold Nebraska Energy Director Ben Gotschall positions Keystone XL pipeline opponents in preparation for the arrival of MSNBC news host Ed Schultz at the Build Our Energy Barn.
Keystone Obama
An activist dressed as a polar bear participates in a protest vigil in Lafayette Park across from the White House in February 2014, urging President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
Keystone XL Pipeline Construction
The TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline under construction east of Winona, Texas, in January 2014.
Keystone XL pipeline protest
Patricia Fuller (left) of Council Bluffs and Deirdre Evans of Omaha protest the Keystone XL pipeline Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, outside the Justice and Law Enforcement Center.
Keystone XL pipeline opponents
Randy Thompson (right) addresses a collection of pipeline opponents March 12, 2013, at a meeting at Thompson's home in Martell.
Stephen Harper
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes part in a discussion with the Canadian American Business Council in New York, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013. Harper said he "won't take no for an answer" if the Obama administration rejects the controversial Keystone XL pipeline to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Oil Pipeline-Delay
Ambient light and noise from the Keystone XL pipeline could harm national resources, wildlife and visitors to parks, including the Niobrara National Scenic River in northern Nebraska, pictured here in 2010, the Interior Department says.
Keystone XL old route
In this 2010 file photo, Dennis and Teri Taylor stand in a pasture near where the proposed Keystone XL pipeline's original route would have cut through their ranch near Stuart.
Keystone XL route security
A wooden stick with a pink ribbon marks the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline through farmland near Bradshaw on March 11, 2013.
State Department officials
Teresa Hobgood (top left), presiding official from the U.S. State Department, and assistant presiding official Patrick Hudak listen to a pipeline opponent speak during the State Department-sponsored hearings on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline April 18 at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
Roma Amundson
Keystone XL pipeline supporter Roma Amundson of Lincoln speaks during the U.S. State Department-sponsored hearings on the project Thursday, April 18, 2013, at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
Pipeline fight
Pipeline opponents raise their arm bands to silently speak out against a person speaking during the U.S. State Department-sponsored hearings on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline Thursday, April 18, 2013, at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.
Keystone 172
Several thousand people gathered on the National Mall for the "Forward on Climate" rally in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 17, 2013, to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline and demonstrate for other causes.
Nebraska protesters
Brothers Christopher and Ben Gotschall, whose family land near Atkinson lay along the original proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline, attend a pipeline protest Feb. 18, 2013, in Washington.
Nebraska protesters
Abbi Kleinschmidt and others march in Washington in opposition of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013.
Julian Bond, Michael Brune
Civil rights protester Julian Bond, left, and Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, second from left, gather with activists in front of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, as prominent environmental leaders tied themselves to the White House gate to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Darryl Hannah
Actress Daryl Hannah is arrested outside the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013, as prominent environmental leaders tied themselves to the White House gate to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Native, pipeline protest
Protesters from Idle No More, a Native social justice movement, and Bold Nebraska join together in a round dance at the Capitol on Monday Jan. 28, 2013, at the conclusion of a demonstration. They were protesting Gov. Dave Heineman's decision to approve a route for the Keystone XL pipeline through Nebraska and showing support for indigenous rights.
Keystone XL Pipeline
Workers use heavy machinery to install sections of the Keystone XL pipeline south of Cushing, Okla., Jan. 15, 2013.
Pipeline grinch
The "Grinch" showed up outside the Governor's residence Monday, Dec. 24, 2012, to urge him to reject the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route.
Pipeline walker
Framed in a side-view mirror, Rick Hammond (left) of Clarks and Ken Ilgunas of Niagara Falls, N.Y., walk along a gravel road west of McCool Junction on the chilly morning of Dec. 11, 2012.
Albion hearing
A standing-room-only crowd filled the public hearing area to give testimony or listen to the comments both for and against the Keystone XL pipeline on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at the Boone County Fairgrounds.
Albion hearing
Ogalala Lakota Nation vice president Tom Poor Bear of Wanblee, S.D., gives testimony on the Keystone XL pipeline during a public hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Poor Bear was one of 164 people who signed up to speak at the public hearing.
Pipeline special session
Speaker Mike Flood of Norfolk announces that TransCanada has agreed to voluntarily move the Keystone XL pipeline project away from the Sandhills on the floor of the Legislature in November 2011.
Pipeline protest Nov. 12
A crowd gathers in Lincoln's Cooper Park on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, to rally against the Keystone XL pipeline.
Washington Pipeline Protest
Demonstrators march with a replica of a pipeline during a protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline outside the White House on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, in Washington.
Keystone XL pipeline
This Sept. 19, 2011, aerial photo shows a tar sands tailings pond at a mine facility near Alberta, Canada. Transcanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline was to snake 1,700 miles from Canada to refineries in Texas.
Keystone XL meeting
Alex Pourbaix, president of TransCanada Corp.'s energy and oil pipelines, speaks to reporters in Norfolk on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. Pourbaix met with state senators including Chris Langemeier (second from left), Speaker Mike Flood and Annette Dubas to discuss the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state.
Pipeline Meeting
Four state senators and two TransCanada representatives met for four hours in October 2011 in Norfolk to discuss issues and share information about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Shown here (clockwise from top) are Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler, Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton, Sen. Kate Sullivan of Cedar Rapids (back to camera), Robert Jones, a TransCanada vice president, and Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada president of energy and oil pipelines.
Keystone XL pipeline public meeting
Opponents and supporters attend the U.S. State Department's public hearing on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline project at Lincoln's Pershing Center in 2011.
Keystone XL pipeline public meeting
Cody Butler from Fremont and Matthew Theis from Lincoln bring their own brand of protest to the street outside the Pershing Center in advance of a public meeting on the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project in 2011.
Keystone XL pipeline
One of two tractor-trailers parked outside Pershing Center on Monday, Sept., 26, 2011, displays support for TransCanada and construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Keystone XL pipeline protest
Wearing T-shirts in support of Nebraska farmer Randy Thompson, protesters (left to right) Jane Wilson of Omaha, Lori Fischer of Shelby, Nancy Packard of Lincoln and Mark Wolberg of Lincoln gather outside the White House on Aug. 22, 2011. Members of Bold Nebraska, a group founded by Jane Kleeb, were among the main opponents of the proposal to run the Keystond XL pipeline through the Nebraska Sandhills.
Keystone XL pipeline protesters
About 300 people stood outside the Governor's Mansion on Friday night, Aug. 5, 2011, to express their displeasure with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Stand with Randy
Poster of Randy Thompson in the window of Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, Monday, Aug. 1, 2011. Thompson is a landowner in Merrick County, Nebraska, who wants to stop the Keystone XL pipeline.
Pipeline Protest Montana
Protesters climb the flagpoles outside of the Capitol in Helena, Mont., Tuesday, July 12, 2011 to hang a sign. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer met with roughly 70 pipeline protesters who occupied his office Tuesday and demanded he renounce his support for the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Keystone XL pipeline
Ailani Segura holds a sign in front of the west side of the Capitol in January 2011 as she attended a protest against the proposed Transcanada Keystone XL pipeline with her mother April Segura.
Pipeline
This 2015 photo shows the Keystone Steele City pumping station, into which the Keystone XL pipeline was to connect.
Omaha World-Herald reporter Paul Hammel contributed to this report.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
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