Last Updated Jan 22nd, 2020 at 8:29 pm

Delayed in production since 2015, the Keystone XL oil pipeline got a welcome green light from the federal government on Wednesday as the Department of the Interior approved a stretch of the piping for construction across part of Montana.

The oil pipeline was halted by President Obama five years ago. The Obama administration had expressed environmental concerns over the piping, with Obama himself claiming its construction would undermine U.S. leadership on climate change.

The Interior Department approved this week the building of a stretch of the pipeline network across federal land in Montana. The pipes, when completed, will carry oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Pending legal challenges and further federal approval still stand in the way of the project's completion.