There’s nothing like a fresh poll, hot off the wire to to get your political juices going.  Bold is excited to release the results of our first poll about TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.  If you keep reading, we’ve also got some juicy new details about TransCanada’s lobbying efforts in Nebraska.

Here’s what we learned:

Nebraskans, both statewide and along the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline route, are opposed to pipeline being built.  Bold Nebraska, Nebraska Wildlife and Nebraska Sierra Club funded the informed voter survey.

Full results are below and key findings include:

  • 84% of Nebraskans want elected leaders, especially Governor Heineman and State Senators, to be asking questions about the pipeline.
  • 57% of Nebraskans said they would withhold a vote from a candidate who did not ask questions.
  • 76% of Nebraskans want to see more state regulations on the pipeline.
  • 81% want input on a state-based Emergency Response Plan.
  • 48% oppose the pipeline (19% support, 33% undecided).

You can get the full details, how we asked the questions, differences between answers statewide vs along the route vs not along the route, etc. if you click here.

In the mean time, TransCanada put out it’s own poll (weird timing, right?).  Their results show that 69% of Nebraskans support the pipeline.  We’re not sure how they got those numbers since they’ve only put out a memo.  They’ve shared none of their polling questions or any real methodology which, more than a few political science professors will tell you, is pretty sketchy.

You can check out TransCanada’s truncated (not full or in-depth) poll results if you click here.

Thanks to the good work over at Common Cause, it looks like TransCanada’s been dropping some big money on lobbying in Nebraska.  We already know that they’ve given $2,500 apiece to Heineman and Bruning, but more big money keeps appearing.  Since 2006, the company’s paid over $300,000 to a lobbyist in Nebraska.  That’s no small change for a frugal state like ours.  Well, we know the pipeline’s created at least one job — TransCanada’s lobbyist.