Opponents of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline will rally in Great Falls Wednesday before a federal judge hears arguments in a lawsuit aiming to overturn a permit President Trump issued for it.
The lawsuit brought by the Northern Plains Resource Council and four other conservation groups argues that the Trump administration’s okay to build the pipeline across the U.S-Canada border is based on outdated and incomplete information about Keystone XL’s potential impacts on land and waterways.
However the federal government says its decision is based on nearly a decade of sufficient environmental review.
Jessica Sena is a spokesperson for the Montana Petroleum Association, which supports the pipeline being built.
“So what that means regionally for the industry is more of that product to market in a more safe manner. Pipelines are the safest way to move petroleum products,” Sena says.
But some locals in the eastern Montana worry that a new pipeline in their area will expose them to leaks that will contaminate their water.
Reuters reported in early May that TransCanada Corporation plans on starting initial work on the pipeline in Montana this fall.
Judge Brian Morris will hear arguments Thursday morning in Federal District Court in Great Falls.