NELSON COMMENDS LEGISLATURE FOR STEPPING FORWARD ON PIPELINE

November 16, 2011 – Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson today commended the Nebraska Legislature and Speaker Mike Flood for their leadership in stepping forward to assert the state’s rights concerning the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.
“This has always been a state’s rights issue for me and it’s been gratifying to see Nebraskans’ rights being exercised on a major project in our state,” Senator Nelson said on his weekly conference call with members of the Nebraska media. “I commend the Nebraska Legislature for stepping forward to address issues concerning the proposed pipeline’s route, safety and impact.
“I also commend the Speaker of the Legislature, Speaker Flood. He’s done an outstanding job in negotiating with TransCanada a new route taking the pipeline out of the Sand Hills, and for working on legislation asserting the state’s rights in determining an acceptable alternative route.”
For nearly two years, Nelson has pushed the U.S. State Department through letters, meetings and communication to make sure Nebraskans are heard on the proposed pipeline, a major project involving energy, jobs and Nebraska’s environment.
Nelson urged the State Department to extend its public comment period on the project to enable concerns and suggestions from the State of Nebraska be included it its review of TransCanada’s request for a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I’ve been pleased to see that through extensive State Department-run public hearings and with the Legislature’s special session now underway in Lincoln, Nebraskans have been heard. And now, through action by the Legislature, the State of Nebraska is taking action,” Nelson said.
“Based on my communications with the United States State Department, I’m confident that the State of Nebraska and the State Department will be able to move forward with a new supplemental Environmental Impact Statement evaluating the new route,” Nelson said.
“It’s unfortunate that an acceptable route wasn’t negotiated at the beginning of this process. It could have been. That would have avoided the unnecessary costs to both TransCanada and our Nebraska taxpayers. But I’m pleased to see that state senators are stepping forward to make sure an acceptable route alternative is developed and that jobs aren’t lost in Nebraska,” the senator said.
AUDIO CLIPS OF THE SENATOR’S COMMENTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE:
http://bennelson.senate.gov/audio/ebn-pipeline1-1116.mp3
http://bennelson.senate.gov/audio/ebn-pipeline-flood-1116.mp3
http://bennelson.senate.gov/audio/ebn-pipeline-move-forward-1116.mp3