Ben Nelson also seeking Clinton clarity on TransCanada pipeline

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is hopping mad about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s apparent hint that the department is on its way toward approving the controversial proposed TransCanada pipeline carrying crude oil from Alberta oil sands to Texas.
 
Nelson joined fellow Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns (R) in sending his own letter Thursday to Clinton saying he is “deeply concerned” by her recent suggestion that the State Department would approve the Keystone XL pipeline project.
 
“These comments strike me, and many of my fellow Nebraskans, as an indication that a decision has been reached on the Keystone XL pipeline before your agency has done a thorough study of the environmental impacts” the pipeline would have on the state’s Sandhills and a key aquifer, Nelson wrote. 

He was referring to comments Clinton made Oct. 15 at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club where she said the department was "inclined" to approve the project because the U.S. for the moment needs to import oil and that it is better to do so from Canada than from volatile nations.
 
Both Nelson and Johanns say the pipeline on its currently proposed route could spoil the Ogallala Aquifer and, in turn, the state’s drinking water supply, and that alternative routes should be considered.
 
The proposed pipeline would enter Montana and travel through South Dakota and Nebraska before meeting up with an existing pipeline in Kansas. It then continues in Oklahoma and into Texas.
 
Nelson — like Johanns — is asking Clinton to clarify her remarks. “Doing so will help in answering the many concerns and uncertainties raised by your comments and will ensure that whatever decision the State Department makes will take into full account the importance of the Ogallala Aquifer and the Sandhills to Nebraska’s livelihood,” Nelson wrote.

A State Department spokesman Wednesday said the department was still reviewing "thousands of comments" regarding the proposed pipeline and that that review should wrap up by the end of the year. There is no timeline for announcing a decision on the project, the spokesman said. A department spokesperson was not available to comment Thursday.

Supporters of the pipeline say the concern is unwarranted.

“Not only will this project create thousands of jobs in Nebraska, it will help ensure an affordable, reliable fuel supply for the farmers, truckers, small businesses and families [in the state]," said Michael Whatley, vice president of the Consumer Energy Alliance.