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Nebraska’s high court today removed one of the major hurdles blocking the Keystone XL pipeline. The state supreme court rejected another attempt to derail the project by opponents. They want to force the developer to reapply for state approval for a pipeline route across Nebraska.
The proposed route runs through the property of Neligh Nebraska farmer and pipeline opponent Art Tanderup. There have been three proposed routes for the pipeline. When asked if any of them was safe for the High Plains Aquifer that lies beneath the route, Tanderup left no room for doubt.
No. Because even like here were in what’s called the Eastern sandhills here. The aquifer is very high here in places.
The aquifer system supplies drinking water to 82% of the 2.3 million people who live within the boundaries of the High Plains. Three federal lawsuits are still pending against the pipeline.
Attorneys general from a dozen western states want the Trump administration to halt a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that they say usurps states' authority over their own water.
North Dakota’s Attorney General says the Water Supply Rule proposed in the waning days of the Obama administration could allow the Corps to charge for water drawn from reservoirs it manages. In North Dakota, it would mean 75% of the Missouri River water could be subjected to "unlawful" fees.
