Nebraska Pipeline Opponent Criticizes President Obama

By: Associated Press

Updated: Thu 11:52 PM, Mar 22, 2012

President Barack Obama (File) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Barack Obama's decision to expedite approval of an oil pipeline between Oklahoma and Texas is being criticized by Nebraska pipeline opponents.

Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska says the president's decision is a
disappointment because a fast approval could jeopardize land and
water along the route.

Kleeb helped organize opposition in Nebraska to TransCanada's
larger proposed Keystone XL pipeline between Canada and Texas
because of concerns about the Sandhills and underground Ogallala
aquifer.

Kleeb says she hopes TransCanada will abandon the larger
Keystone XL pipeline project if this southern section gets built.

Kleeb says approving this pipeline is a departure from the
president's otherwise responsible energy policy that encourages
clean energy and increased efficiency.

Obama says Congress took wrong option on pipeline

President Barack Obama says Congress took the wrong option when it attempted to force quick approval of an oil pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast.

In a speech Thursday near the Cushing oil hub in Oklahoma, the
president green-lighted the project from Oklahoma to Texas but said
more reviews are needed before a pipeline is built over a Nebraska
aquifer that provides irrigation and drinking water throughout the
Great Plains.

The president said Congressional politics nearly kept the
country from making an informed decision about the northern leg of
the Keystone XL pipeline. He said Democrats and Republicans in
Nebraska raised questions about whether the original pipeline route
was wise and safe. He said the review exhibits "common sense."

Obama says his administration will review future permit
applications.

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