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NNELSON: GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE ALL PRECAUTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH PIPELINE
Media Releases | Senator Ben Nelson | July 02, 2010
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July 2, 2010 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson spoke with U.S. State Department Under Secretary William Burns and others in charge of reviewing a proposed Keystone XL pipeline crossing Nebraska and urged full consideration of its environmental and economic impact, as well as the views of Nebraska citizens and officials.
Since April, Senator Nelson has heard from broad spectrum of Nebraskans concerning the pipeline. At Nelson’s request, Burns called today, while meeting European officials in Brussels.
“Considering the importance of the Ogallala Aquifer and the Sandhills to Nebraska’s economic and agricultural livelihood, I urged Secretary Burns to take full account of concerns raised by a number of Nebraskans about safety issues and the environmental impact surrounding the proposed oil pipeline. With the ongoing tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, federal regulators must take every precaution before proceeding with this new pipeline project,” said Senator Nelson.During their conversation today, Nelson called on Burns to consider the pipeline’s potential environmental and economic impact on Nebraska. He also suggested that the State Department should carefully assess input received during the comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and that the agency should seek further information and viewpoints from local and state officials in Nebraska about the pipeline.
Also today, other State Department officials informed Nelson that the proposed pipeline is being reviewed by the State Department, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which is reviewing the proposed pipe that would be used for the pipeline.
The Keystone pipeline would be the second TransCanda pipeline across Nebraska. This one would originate in Alberta Canada and be built across Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. It would enter Nebraska through Keya Paha County and travel south-southeast exiting the state in Jefferson County.
The pipeline project’s estimated cost is $5.2 billion and would have a daily capacity of 435,000 barrels of oil.
Tagged with: keystone xl, pipeline, secretary of state, ben nelson
