LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline are criticizing developer TransCanada’s request for a delay in the State Department’s review to allow Nebraska regulators can examine the route.

The group Bold Nebraska said in a statement Monday that neither President Barack Obama nor the State Department is obligated to grant the request.

Bold Nebraska has alleged the company is trying to run out the clock on Obama’s presidency in hopes that a Republican might win the 2016 presidential election.

TransCanada has said it applied for approval with the Nebraska Public Service Commission because of ongoing legal challenges to the pipeline route that former Gov. Dave Heineman approved in 2013.

Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska contends the company is scrambling because it fears Obama will reject its request for a presidential permit.