Keystone Leak Will Not Be Considered In Approval Of Pipeline
By Grant Schulte and James Nord for The Associated Press. Nebraska lawmakers gave the five-member commission the power to regulate major oil pipelines in 2011 in response to a public outcry over the pipeline and its potential impact on the Sandhills, an ecologically fragile region of grass-covered sand dunes.
But when they passed the law, legislators argued that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility and should not factor in the state decision.
Opponents of Keystone XL are incensed that the leak won't be considered.
"There is a reason TransCanada and the big oil lobby did not want this information on the record," said Jane Kleeb, director of the Bold Alliance, a coalition of groups that have opposed the Keystone XL for nearly a decade.