TransCanada Corp has stated it supports proposed legislation within the State of Nebraska to reroute the Keystone XL pipeline project to avoid sensitive aquifers.
The legislation, which was introduced to the State legislature on November 17, will ensure a pipeline route will be developed that avoids the Sandhills. The legislature has approved paying up to $2 million for an environmental study for the new route. Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality will work together with the State Department to conduct an environmental assessment to define the best location for the pipeline which would be comprised of five or six new pump stations and 275 miles of line.
Trans Canada has stated that the Keystone XL will be built with high strength steel, 21,000 sensors that would monitor the length of the pipeline by satellite 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and automatic shut-off valves that could be activated in minutes to shut off the flow of oil in event of an incident.