Sen. Johanns' and Rep. Terry's support for Congressional bills that would force approval of the (already denied) Keystone XL pipeline not only goes against Nebraskans' concerns about our land and water, but it is also a fruitless endeavor akin to chasing Moby Dick.

President Obama denied TransCanada's permit request to build the Keystone XL pipeline which means TransCanada must resubmit an application to the State Department. If TransCanada submits a new application, the review process starts from the beginning. Specifically in Nebraska, this means that TransCanada must--according to law passed during the Pipeline Special Session--submit a route application to the Public Service Commission. The denial of the pipeline however has not stopped the GOP's pursuit of political theater in the name of “jobs.” 

The last time Rep. Boehner was in Nebraska he was golfing and making bets with Gov. Heineman and staff from the newly named pipeline consultant HDR (yep, the company hired to study new Keystone XL routes in our state). Maybe Rep. Boehner needs to come back to Nebraska and instead of golfing in the Sandhills with Gov. Heineman and HDR, he should actually listen to landowners and citizens about our valid concerns for land, water, health and property rights.  

Rep. Boehner and Rep. Terry, along with support from Gov. Heineman and Sen. Johanns, passed a payroll tax bill and attached a "rider" to rush the approval process for the TransCanada's Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. They all agree the project is "shovel ready" and should be approved now since it is safe and will bring lots of jobs.

I spent Tuesday being an honorary Connecticutian--yes, that’s the correct term. I joined a band of native Connecticutians as part of the “Take Back the Capitol” week in Washington, DC. Our group’s mission: convince Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) to pass jobs legislation to put Americans back to work.

I was lucky enough to be one of many bloggers invited to Washington, DC to write about the 99inDC events happening all week. I decided to hang out with the Connecticut contingent, because I figured it might be a culture shock for a girl from the Midwest.

Less than a month ago Senator Johanns said Congress has little role in the Keystone XL pipeline and the decision is in President Obama's hands. However, today he did a 180 and joined a reckless group of GOP Senators on Capitol Hill looking to ram the Keystone XL pipeline down America’s throat.  Johanns is now a co-sponsor of Senator Lugar’s bill that would require the Obama administration to rubberstamp the Keystone XL in 60 days, before details on a reroute have even been determined, let alone studied.

Simply put, Senator Johanns (and Representatives Terry and Smith) wants to impose an arbitrary deadline for analyzing the pipeline. This is something that the Unicameral decided not to do when they set up the State's review process just days ago.

Senator Ben Nelson spoke about the pipeline today on a press call. With the critical importance of the pipeline and special session, we wanted to share his statement regarding oil pipeline routing and the special session.

Senator Nelson and Johanns as well as Rep. Fortenberry have met with landowners and have been asking questions about the pipeline all along the way 

UPDATE: Today's hearings were far more respectful and cordial to testifiers. We appreciate Chairman Langmeier changing the ugly tone from last night to one that welcomed citizen input. We recommend sending him a thank you (402) 471-2719, clangemeier@leg.ne.gov

Sample Letter:

It was day six of the special session, and still no sign of Governor Heineman. There was no word from him on a bill that would give his office siting authority or any of the bills for that matter.

If we needed a sign that the governor does not take this special session seriously, this was it. The governor has provided no clear guidance to state senators on what legislation he wants passed. He has not even bothered to show his face in the halls of the Capitol.

We couldn't have said it better:

The US State Department's release of a flawed Environmental Impact Statement does not mean a final decision has been made on the risky Keystone XL tar sands pipeline--there is still a long way to go before it can be built.

In the executive summary of the EIS, the State Department makes it crystal clear that the state of Nebraska is the ONLY one responsible for the pipeline route. Gov. Heineman refuses to accept this fact and Nebraskans are watching to see if he will take his responsibility seriously, or if he will let the federal government and a foreign oil company decide how our state handles high pressure, risky oil pipelines.

It’s August Townhall season, and we knew it was only a matter of time before Lee “TransCanada” decided to show his mug around these parts.

Sure enough, at his townhall in Valley, Rep. TransCanada showed that he continues to be a stooge for TransCanada and their Big Oil pals. He continues to reiterate inaccurate talking points that any citizen with a decent internet connection could dispute.