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January 18, 2012 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson issued this statement in response to the Administration’s denial of a permit to build the proposed Keystone XL pipeline:
“This is what I and others predicted would happen if Congress intervened for political purposes and tried to rush this project by setting an arbitrary deadline.
“I believe the root cause of today’s decision is that the State of Nebraska didn’t work proactively with TransCanada years ago in determining a pipeline route through Nebraska that addresses safety and environmental concerns, as other states along the route did.
“After three years of inaction, the State of Nebraska just two months ago passed legislation to determine the route through Nebraska, recognizing that any deadline would be arbitrary. Since a new route hasn’t been announced, the process of State and public review hasn’t even begun. As a result, it would be premature to approve the project when Nebraskans don’t even know where the new route will be.
“Fortunately, the announcement today allows for a path to move forward in a responsible manner, without being rushed and allowing appropriate reviews at both the state and federal levels to proceed.
“However, if Congress further intervenes and tries to circumvent safety and environmental laws, there will be strong public backlash and lawsuits are certain to follow, causing additional delays. Congress must stop playing politics that could further jeopardize the project and let the application review move forward now.”
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