Nebraska knows TransCanada as the force behind the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline - but president of energy and oil pipelines, Alex Pourbaix says his company is much more.
In fact, TransCanada is massive, their total assets reach 50 billion dollars and they have 35 thousand miles of pipe stretching across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
For 60 years they've been in the business of transporting energy from one place to another, but 15 years ago they began creating it.
"We're the largest private power company in Canada, and one thing I think surprises people is we're one of the largest producers of renewable fuel in Canada, emission free power," said Pourbaix.
More than half of their power comes from hydro, wind and nuclear.
TransCanada's more recent plans for expansion have brought them into the public eye more than ever, perhaps because those new projects involve big oil and the oil sands, a controversial substance with a reputation for being toxic and corrosive.
10/11 was given a tour, flying over the strip mines, and from our view it was easy to see the devastation preached by critics. They claim the mining process destroys land, poisons the water and emits greenhouse gasses into the air, but TransCanada insists the product is not any different from the heavy crude mined elsewhere.
Pourbaix said, "It is absolute fallacy, mistruth and miscommunication to suggest the oil in the sands and ultimately transported on our system is any different chemically, any different in temperature, and any different in characteristics or sediment content. Oil is oil."
While Transcanada and the pipeline project have brought controversy to Nebraska, in Alberta, TransCanada has brought almost nothing but good news to the local economy.
Oil is big business, and Calgary has been called the Houston of Canada. TransCanada is a major player in the industry and they mean a lot to the city.
"Every dollar our employees provide to the United Way, TransCanada matches and that's not just Calgary, that's every community with a United Way campaign," said Pourbaix.
No question TransCanada makes a lot of money, but Pourbaix says it's what they give back that often gets overlooked.
Pourbaix said, "There are a lot of communities across North America that wouldn't have ball diamonds or arenas if it wasn't for TransCanada and assets in those communities."
