Neb. governor urges Obama to deny pipeline permit

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is urging President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to deny the federal permit for an oil pipeline that would carry Canadian oil over the Ogallala aquifer.

The governor said Wednesday that he’s not opposed to the pipeline, but he opposes the route for the Keystone XL pipeline because it crosses the aquifer, which supplies drinking and irrigation water to parts of Nebraska and several states.

TransCanada’s proposed pipeline project is designed to carry oil from Canada across Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma on its way to refineries on Texas’ Gulf Coast.

Calgary-based TransCanada submitted its Keystone XL project for State Department review in late 2008. The State Department has authority over the pipeline because it crosses an international boundary.