Judge blocks pipeline

Great Falls: A federal judge in Montana has blocked construction of the

$US8 billion ($NZ11.9 billion) Keystone XL Pipeline to allow more time to study the project’s potential environmental impact.

Judge Brian Morris’ order yesterday came as Calgarybased TransCanada was preparing to build the first stages of the 1900km pipeline, which would transport up to 830,000 barrels of crude a day from Alberta, Canada and Montana to facilities in Nebraska.

Environmental groups had sued TransCanada and the US Department of State in federal court in Great Falls. — AP