(Washington, D.C.) – According to Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman(R), TransCanada has an alternative route for the Keystone XL pipeline ready to roll out, but is waiting while officials in Nebraska and other states work with the Obama administration to determine how best to proceed through a new approval process.
During an exclusive interview with Governors Journal, in Washington, D.C., Heineman said he believes the Obama administration is intent on delaying any final decisions about the controversial project until after the 2012 election, but Heineman is personally committed to helping the president “get to a yes.”
Heineman’s remarks come as efforts are underway on Capitol Hill to force the administration’s hand. At least one vote is expected as early as next week on a proposal to take approval authority away from the U.S. State Department and put it in the hands of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The partisan approach by congressional Republicans stands in contrast to the steps Heineman is taking, largely through behind the scenes phone calls and meetings, to find a path forward that leads to construction of the pipeline considered important to the regional economy and efforts to ensure American energy security.
Heineman says he has had very constructive conversations with members of the administration, including White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, in which there was agreement to look past the obvious disagreements and focus energies on how to move ahead.
“We’re trying to figure out, now that we’ve done our part, and there’s agreement, basically, in Nebraska – for the pipeline, but change, divert the route around the Sand Hills – how do we do that and move forward? And so, we’re in what we call a period of time out.”
Heineman says TransCanada was ready to come forward with a new Nebraska route for the pipeline back on January 19th, but a roll out was put on hold following the president’s decision to deny the permit the day before.
The governor of Nebraska describes the current holding pattern as a negotiation over who moves first. Heineman would like to begin the new Nebraska approval process as soon as possible, but not if it interferes with the process the State Department wants to follow. There is also a concern that all the work done to win approval in other states, might be lost, if TransCanada is made to file an entirely new application.
“I do get some sense from the Department of State, that I think they are going to try to use as much of the old information – in terms of the environmental impact statement” in an effort to expedite the process, but at the same time, Heineman says he thinks any route change will force the federal government to ask for a new application.
Heineman sees a difference between how the issue is being handled on Capitol Hill as compared to how the governors are handling it. “I think we are more realistic, we’re more pragmatic, we’re tryin’ to get things done. We’re trying to do what we said we would do to follow our laws to get to a yes. To proceed, in this case, with the pipeline.”
Heineman, who is serving this year as chairman of the National Governors Association, is hoping to get a few minutes with the president on the issue at the end of the month when the NGA holds its winter meeting in Washington.
His message: “If you say yes to the pipeline, you are saying yes to American jobs and no to increased dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Right now we are in the reverse. By saying no, we said no to American jobs and yes to increasing dependence on Middle Eastern oil. I think that needs to be flipped. You know, sooner or later, the president has to decide whether this is in our national interest, or not.”
