The Canadian company seeking to build a Canada-to-Texas pipeline says it will reapply for a permit after President Barack Obama announced he had rejected the current proposal.

TransCanada's CEO and president Russ Girling says Obama's announcement on Wednesday was not entirely surprising.

He says the company plans to reapply for a presidential permit for the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline.

Obama says he turned down the proposal because Congress gave him a 60-day deadline that did not allow for a thorough review of the project.

He made clear the company was free to reapply for the permit.

Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe says the pipeline could have brought thousands of jobs to the Sooner State.

He says the President's decision will make the U-S more dependent on oil from the Middle East and predicts this decision will hurt the President's re-election bid.

TransCanada says it is working with officials in Nebraska to find a route through the state that avoids environmentally

sensitive areas.