On Tuesday, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman approved TransCanada's revised Keystone XL pipeline route through the state, which has been a point of contention due to the environmentally sensitive Nebraska Sandhills. Heineman sent a letter to US President Barack Obama indicating his approval.
Nevertheless, Victoria Nuland, a State Department spokeswoman said "We don't anticipate being able to conclude our own review before the end of the first quarter of this year," although the department originally said it would make a final decision on the northern portion of the pipeline by that deadline.