After several comments from almost a dozen Nebraska citizens asking the NPPD board to vote down a resolution on TransCanada's Keystone Export Pipeline, the board voted 9-1 to pass the resolution. Board member Mary Harding was the lone dissenter, after voicing opinions contrary to her peers.

Harding basically argued (and we agree) that the resolution, which calls on NPPD to "work proactively with TransCanada to make the process of developing new electric infrastructure to serve the proposed pipeline route occur in a timely and cost effective manner," is unneccessary and redundant. TransCanada does not deserve, or need, special treatment.

There has been much ado about green jobs lately, and it's not about nothing. The Brookings Institute reported that there are currently 2.7 million jobs in the clean economy, already more than what is in the fossil fuel industry, and there's enormous potential for growth. "Clean-tech" jobs that have to do with renewable energy are a fairly small proportion of these jobs, but they have made the most gains in recent years—and our nation isn't even close to utilizing our full potential!

There’s one question we are asking every Nebraskan, including all of our elected officials, this summer: Do you stand with Randy or do you stand with TransCanada?  

Click here to see the list of "I Stand with Randy" events.

The article below appeared in Yale 360, an international online magazine covering the environment.  The author, Jim Robbins is a veteran journalist based in Helena, Montana. He has written for theNew York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and numerous other publications. His fifth book, The Forgotten Forest, about the poorly understood role of trees in the environment, will be published next year by Random House. To read the article on Yale 360's site, click here.

The Sand Hills of Nebraska are a unique Great Plains prairie ecosystem. The rolling dunes, rising to 300 feet, cover about a quarter of the state, and because the grasses and wildflowers there are adapted to wet, sandy soil, many grow nowhere else. Thousands of ponds and lakes dot the Sand Hills, nourishing the Ogallala Aquifer.

Nebraskans are speaking out and taking action to help stop the TransCanada pipeline. 

This page (last updated 10/06/2011) is meant to be a resource with various reports and background about this critical topic. 

This is a letter we received from David Daniel, a landowner in Texas who’s property is threatened by TransCanada’s Keystone XL.  He gave us permission to share his thoughts on some recent TransCanada developments with you:

TransCanada is passing the buck like you’d pass a hot potato. After sending a copy of the NRDC report that details how tarsands pipelines, like TransCanada’s Keystone XL, present unaddressed hazards to public safety, our local media station, CBS 19, in Tyler started asking TransCanada for a response. After several attempts, a week went by and finally the response came on Dec. 22. 

Neal's got a regular series featuring this chimp and his signs.  We're delighted to have the pipeline included.

For 97 years now, farmers and ranchers from across the state have gathered to craft policy at the Nebraska Farmers Union State Convention.  The purpose of this event is to give State Office representatives, such as myself, a set of guidelines to be carried out on behalf of family farmers and ranchers across Nebraska.  It also gives producers in their respective areas an opportunity to voice their opinions on issues that impact them.

Shortly after harvest time, counties from all across the state hold local meetings and send delegates on their county’s behalf.  They represent members’ beliefs on current policy or new issues that are not yet covered.  In addition, the Nebraska Farmers Union (NEFU) delegation crafts a series of ‘Special Orders of Business’ that deal with evolving current issues which require immediate action.