LINCOLN, Neb. — State Department representatives got an earful Tuesday from supporters and opponents of a proposed Canadian oil pipeline that would cross part of Nebraska’s vast underground water supply.
Both sides of the Keystone XL pipeline debate booed and jeered adversaries and shouted encouragement to their allies at the federal hearing in downtown Lincoln.
The rowdy meeting marked the second day of hearings this week in the six states the pipeline would cross. The debate has drawn the greatest attention in Nebraska, where the proposed route would traverse part of the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies drinking water to about 2 million people.
The sides staged dueling rallies in front of the Pershing Center with signs, songs and a black, inflatable mock pipe that opponents hauled down the street.
Pipeline supporters dressed in bright orange waved signs outside the Pershing Center that read, “Keystone Unlocks Good Jobs for Nebraska,” and “Reason, Not Extremism.” Opponents sported red and black armbands, flashed “Protect the Sandhills” signs and handed out shirts that read, “But Dad, our cows can’t drink oil.”
Pipeline opponent Dan Rudnick of Lincoln said he’d like to see state and federal action to at least reroute the pipeline around the Ogallala Aquifer.
Nebraska state Sen. Ken Haar urged officials to take more time to consider the project or reject it outright. Haar, an outspoken pipeline critic, drew a standing ovation after he spoke. When his designated time to speak ended, pipeline supporters shouted, “Time’s up!”
Harr said to loud whistles and applause: “With all due respect to this committee, I would say today that the national interest is being defined by the federal government and TransCanada, and that you don’t give a damn about Nebraska.”
Nebraska state Sen. Jim Smith, a pipeline supporter, said the proposed route is the safest and most environmentally friendly. As he finished his remarks, protesters shouted, “Shame on you!”
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has urged President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to deny a federal permit for the pipeline, which would carry Canadian oil through part of the Ogallala Aquifer, which also supplies drinking and irrigation water to South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Heineman, a Republican, said he would support the pipeline project if TransCanada moved its route.
The State Department, which has to approve the pipeline because it would cross the U.S.-Canada border, is expected to make its decision by the end of the year.
Environmental groups fear the pipeline could foul underground- and surface-water supplies, increase air pollution around refineries and harm wildlife. They have criticized what they consider inadequate pipeline safety and emergency-spill responses.
