LINCOLN - Gov. Pete Ricketts is urging the president to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline so Nebraska "can reap the economic and other benefits" of the project.
The Governor's Office announced Monday that Ricketts had sent a letter to President Barack Obama on the subject Wednesday.
In it, Ricketts said the "public process in Nebraska has worked to ensure that the health, safety and environment of our communities" along the pipeline route would be protected.
He noted that the original Keystone XL route was changed after numerous people, including Gov. Dave Heineman, raised a concern that it would have crossed the environmentally sensitive Sand Hills.
Read Ricketts' letter to Obama
TransCanada Corp., the Calgary-based company behind the pipeline, revised the route as part of a compromise with state lawmakers.
"Like many other Nebraskans, I support the revised route and the construction of the pipeline; however, you alone have the power to approve this important infrastructure project that will bring good-paying jobs and much-needed tax revenue to Nebraska counties during construction and for years to come," Ricketts said in his letter.
The governor's stance drew criticism from Jane Kleeb, a leading pipeline opponent and director of Bold Nebraska. She said the governor has never talked with the farmers and ranchers who are trying to protect their property rights from "eminent domain for private foreign gain."
"Before Gov. Ricketts sends letters to the president, he might want to sit down and visit with landowners and environmental groups who have valid concerns," Kleeb said.
The $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels daily of mostly heavy crude oil from western Canada to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
TransCanada has been seeking federal approval for the international pipeline for nearly seven years. Obama could make the final decision at any time on whether the pipeline meets the national interest.
Even if the company obtains federal approval, however, it must await the outcome of a legal dispute in Nebraska.
On Monday, Holt County District Judge Mark Kozisek set an Oct. 19 trial date in a lawsuit brought by a group of landowners who do not want the pipeline crossing their properties.
In February he granted the landowners an injunction that halted land condemnation proceedings by TransCanada pending the outcome of the lawsuit.
A similar case with different landowners is pending in York County.
South Dakota regulators also are reviewing the pipeline again. The state authorized the Keystone XL in 2010, but permits must be revisited if construction does not start in four years.
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