Done deal: Trump approves Keystone XL pipeline

The Trump administration has issued a presidential permit to pipeline builder TransCanada to build the Keystone XL pipeline. President Donald Trump was expected to discuss the matter later Friday morning.

The State Department says it determined that building Keystone serves the U.S. national interest. That's the opposite conclusion to the one the State Department reached during the Obama administration.

In Pierre, Gov. Dennis Daugaard says he welcomes the Trump administration's approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and hopes people will exercise their First Amendment rights peacefully.

The Republican said Friday that he recognizes some in South Dakota won't celebrate the decision. But he says it's a victory for ``all of us who rely on oil to heat our homes, fuel our cars and power our tractors.''

Foes fear it would contaminate water supplies and contribute to pollution. Opponents have asked a state judge to reverse a decision by state regulators to authorize the portion of the project that would traverse South Dakota.

It would move crude oil from Alberta, Canada, across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines feeding refineries along the Gulf Coast.