Nebraska governor calls special session on Keystone pipeline

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) said Monday he is calling a special session of the state’s legislature in a last-ditch effort to alter the route of a controversial proposed oil pipeline.

Heineman said he hopes lawmakers can pass legislation during the session aimed at developing an alternative route for TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude from the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Texas.

The pipeline would cross part of Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer, which provides water for the state’s farmers and ranchers.

“I believe Nebraskans are expecting our best efforts to determine if alternatives exist,” Heineman said in a statement Monday. “Therefore, I will be calling a special session of the Nebraska Legislature to have a thoughtful and thorough public discussion about alternative solutions that could impact the route of the pipeline in a legal and constitutional manner.”

The special session is scheduled to start Nov. 1.

Heineman urged President Obama in August to reject the pending permit application for the pipeline, raising concerns about the proposed route.

“Maintaining and protecting Nebraska’s water supply is very important to me and the residents of Nebraska,” Heineman said in a letter to Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “This resource is the lifeblood of Nebraska’s agriculture industry.”

In the letter, Heineman stressed that he is not opposed to all oil pipelines, but raised red flags about Keystone XL’s proposed route.

The State Department is rounding out a years-long review of the $7 billion, 1,700-mile project.

The department released a final environmental impact statement on the project in August that said there would be “no significant impacts to most resources” along the proposed route if the company adheres to the conditions and mitigation measures that pipeline regulators and environmental agencies demand.

The statement also said a pipeline spill would “affect a limited area of the aquifer around the spill site.”

“I disagree with this analysis, and I believe that the pipeline should not cross a substantial portion of the Ogallala Aquifer,” Heineman said in his August letter.

Heineman’s concerns echo those of a broad coalition of environmental groups and land owners who oppose the pipeline, staging a series of protests that culminated in more than 1,200 arrests at the White House in September.

Opponents have raised concerns about the greenhouse gas emissions that result from oil sands production. They’ve also warned of the potential for oil spills along the pipeline route.

The critics say the Obama administration is in favor of the pipeline, citing a series of emails that show a friendly relationship between TransCanada lobbyist Paul Elliot — a former 2008 campaign aide to now-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — and the State Department.

But proponents of the project — including many Republicans, some Democrats and the oil industry — say the project will boost the economy and create jobs.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a recent interview he is “confident” that the Obama administration will approve the pipeline.

The Obama administration is slated to make a decision on the project by the end of the year.