TransCanada Corp. on Wednesday pulled its Keystone XL crude oil pipeline application pending before Nebraska regulators for a proposed route through the state following the Obama administration’s decision to reject its request for a Presidential permit earlier this month (see Shale Daily, Nov. 6).

A Calgary-based spokesman for TransCanada said the company was still weighing its options but said it was “inappropriate” for the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) to spend an estimated seven to 12 months reviewing the proposed route when it lacks the federal permit.

The withdrawal is part of the company’s “pause to consider our next step,” the spokesman said. It would be “inappropriate to ask the PSC to continue to move forward on a process that has legally set timelines, while we continue to consider our next course of action.”

Since the permit was denied, he said TransCanada has received support from shippers, labor organizations, landowners, government leaders and stakeholders.

TransCanada is reserving the right to reapply to Nebraska regulators because it remains committed to finishing the northern leg of the project. The company maintains that the proposed pipeline is the safest way to deliver both Canadian and U.S. crude supplies to refineries in the Midwest and Gulf Coast.