Keystone XL Oil Pipeline: Key Issues and Updates

Trees dominate a field through which the Keystone XL pipeline is planned to run, near Bradshaw, Neb., on Jan. 16, 2015. Officials with TransCanada said Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, they've filed paperwork in nine counties to acquire access to land that's needed for the construction and operation of the pipeline. The route still faces challenges as opponents have filed lawsuits to try to prevent the Calgary, Alberta-based company from using eminent domain and to overturn the state law that allowed ex-Gov. Dave Heineman to approve the route. AP Photo/Nati Harnik

WASHINGTON—To build or not to build?

That question is at the heart of the debate over the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The answer, and the fate of the $8 billion project, depends on what happens in Congress, the courts, the White House and with TransCanada, the company planning to construct it.

The odds of building seem to change almost daily.

A lawsuit is tossed out, then some others filed. The Republican-controlled Congress is poised to approve a bill authorizing construction, despite a White House promise of a veto. The State Department, after stalling its review because of a Nebraska court case, gives federal agencies a new deadline to weigh in.

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