Despite last month’s announcement from the State Department that a decision on the transnational Keystone XL pipeline would be delayed until early 2013, recent movements in both the U.S. Senate and Nebraska state legislature may force a decision sooner.
In what was seen as a victory for environmentalists, the State Department on Nov. 11 cited safety, health, and environmental reasons for delaying approval of the pipeline, a $13 billion 1,661-mile conduit funneling Canadian crude oil from its source in Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries in Houston, Texas.
The delay was met with praise by local Nebraskans and environmentalists concerned with the proposed pipeline route through the Sand Hills and Ogallala Aquifer areas of Nebraska, and potential damage caused by an accidental spill. However many, including contract workers and labor unions, were displeased with the delay, claiming it would delay much-needed oil and jobs.
Nebraska state officials have been responsive and supportive of the project’s safe construction. Immediately after the State Department announcement, TransCanada Corp., commercial operators and builders of the pipeline, began working with the Nebraska government to change the pipeline’s route and address citizen concerns.
On Nov. 22, Governor Dave Heinman of Nebraska signed into law two bills in regards to the pipeline. The first bill solidifies compromises and route changes agreed to with Transcanada that move pipe away from the aquifer and Sand Hills region; the second authorizes funding for a new environmental study by the state.
Both bills were in response to citizen concerns over the environmental impact of the pipeline and future pipelines, and provide Nebraska with more say and control in the future.
“Today, we stand here having reached a common sense solution,” said Gov. Heinmen, in a press release on his official web site. “For months, Nebraskans have been clear about our position on the pipeline—we support the pipeline. However, we’re opposed to a route through the environmentally sensitive Sand Hills.
“Citizens voiced their opinions at public hearings in Atkinson and Lincoln and at the Legislature’s three public hearings,” the governor continued, giving a nod to citizen efforts to stop the initial route. “Through our persistence and determination, the State Department heard our concerns. Additionally, TransCanada has heard our concerns and has voluntarily agreed to change the route.”
TransCanada announced on its web site that it supports the Nebraska legislation and is pleased with the enactments, and positive dialogue with lawmakers. “TransCanada … confirmed to state leaders that the route for Keystone XL will be changed and reaffirmed that Nebraskans will play an important role in determining the final route.”
Republican Pressure
Legislation was presented this past week in the U.S. Senate that could push the Obama Administration to approve the pipeline in as soon as 60 days. If passed, the North American Energy Security Act would push the secretary of State closer to issuing the construction permit for the pipeline under a 60-day deadline.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is leading the charge with the legislation, along with Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.).
“I don’t know how many Americans are familiar with the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. But this is an issue that every single American should know about,” said Senator Mitch McConnell in a statement on his website. “The Keystone XL Pipeline is the single-largest shovel-ready project in the entire country.
“It’s privately funded, so it wouldn’t cost a dime in taxpayer dollars. And, we’re told that its approval would lead to the creation of 20,000 jobs immediately,” McConnell stated. “And it’s ready to go. Labor unions love this project. Folks in the heartland love this project.”
Republicans in the House have joined Senate colleagues with their own bill. Congressman Lee Terry (R-Neb.) introduced H.R. 3548 Dec. 2, the “North American Energy Access Act,” a bill to “facilitate United States access to North American oil resources, and for other purposes.”
A main component of the bill is to remove authority for approving or denying the cross-border permit for the pipeline from the State Department, and turn it over to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“Going forward with FERC is simply moving the authority to an agency that understands pipelines. This legislation means that Keystone will progress in a timely manner and that our country gets the much-needed jobs and energy security that it will bring,” Terry said in a news release.
Environmental Opposition
Environmental concerns about the pipeline rest in fears of potential leakage or spills along the project’s nearly 1,700-mile path, which bisects the middle of the country. Such spills pose a threat to ecosystems like the Sand Hills and Ogallala region.
While the Obama administration has been quiet over the new legislative proposals by Congressional Republicans, environmentalists are starting to respond.
“Some in Congress are trying to use our country’s dire need for job creation as an excuse to build this pipeline,” claims Todd Larsen, director of climate programs for Green America, in a PRNewswire press release. “Data on [Keystone XL] job creation commissioned by the oil industry, while still in circulation, has been grossly inflated. We will generate more good quality, lasting jobs through investment in clean energy.”
Green America is flatly opposed to the pipeline’s construction, a sentiment shared and expressed by the majority of oppositional activist groups.
“Green America opposes construction of the pipeline due to the perils it presents for human health, the environment and climate change, as well as the tremendous setback the pipeline would mean for development of our domestic, renewable energy sector,” concludes Green America’s director of strategic outreach Fran Teplitz.
With additional reporting by Jim Fogarty
