Friday’s ruling stemmed from the Nebraska Public Service Commission 3-2 vote nearly two years ago in favor of an "alternative route" for the project instead of developer TC Energy’s preferred pathway. Opponents filed a lawsuit arguing the company didn’t follow all the required procedures for the alternative route, in violation of state law.
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Attorneys for the opponents argued that TC Energy’s application with the commission was valid only for its preferred route, and the company formerly known as TransCanada could seek approval only for one route at a time. Nebraska state attorneys disputed that claim, saying that the commission’s decision complied with the law and was in the public’s interest.
The court sided with the Public Service Commission. However, there is still a separate federal lawsuit in Montana that hasn’t been resolved and protesters are once again threatening to gear up as they did in North Dakota to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline. Those efforts made a lot of news but eventually failed. The Dakota Access Pipeline was completed and has been pumping oil for more than a year now.
For opponents of Keystone XL, a change in their favor could come in 2021. Elizabeth Warren has already promised to revoke Trump’s permit for the pipeline if elected:
'Big Inch' Pipelines of WWII - Source of graphic found here.