Judge keeps most Keystone XL pipeline work on hold

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A federal judge in Montana has largely kept in place an injunction that blocks a Canadian company from performing preliminary work on the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris on Friday denied a request by Calgary-based TransCanada to begin constructing worker camps for the 1,184-mile pipeline that would ship crude from Alberta to the Gulf Coast.

However, Morris said TransCanada could perform some limited activities outside the pipeline's right-of-way. Those include the construction and use of pipe storage and container yards.

TransCanada attorneys had argued the injunction issued by Morris in November could cause it to miss the 2019 construction season and further delay the project.

An appeal of November's ruling is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.