Approved Keystone XL Route Misses Boone County

​The Keystone XL pipeline received the support - albeit slim - by the Nebraska Public Service Commission thanks to a 3-2 vote to approve the TransCanada application. 

The commission approved the "mainline alternative" route that was the only one of the three proposed routes not to go through Boone County.

Crystal Rhoades was the lone commissioner to speak before the official vote and made her stand clear by citing six reasons as why she was about to vote no.

Rhoades and Mary Ridder voted against the application while Tim Schram, Frank Landis and Rod Johnston all vote in favor. 

The application had three possible routes, including the “preferred” through Boone County to Nance. The second route or “mainline alternative” did not go through the county. The third route called the “Sandhills alternative,” would have went through just the edge of Boone County.