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Heineman urges federal government to deny Keystone XL permit
News Articles Featured | Journal Star | August 31, 2011
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Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has asked President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to reject the proposed Keystone XL petroleum pipeline because of the route selection through the Nebraska Sandhills.
In a letter dated Wednesday, Heineman emphasized that he was against the route, not against the project itself.
The governor said he disagreed with a portion of a final environmental impact statement issued by the State Department on Friday concerning the potential impact of a petroleum spill on the state's groundwater resources.
"I disagree with this analysis, and I believe that the pipeline should not cross a substantial portion of the Ogallala Aquifer."
He called the state's water supply "the lifeblood of Nebraska's agricultural industry."
Heineman has said Nebraska's one-house Legislature missed its chance this year to advance pipeline regulation, because none of the proposals introduced had support. Lawmakers and the governor did pass one watered-down bill during the session, related to land reclamation costs, but critics said it failed to address their main concerns.
The governor urged pipeline critics to lobby federal regulators and U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, a conservative Democrat considered vulnerable in the 2012 election. Nelson and pipeline critics have said responsibility for the pipe's route falls squarely on the state.
In an Oct. 12 letter to Clinton, Heineman urged regulators to make sure "an appropriate and safe route is chosen," but did not explicitly say the pipeline should be moved.
Clinton is expected to act on a final permit for the project by the end of the year.
Tagged with: keystone xl, transcanada, pipeline, nebraska, dave heineman
