The U.S. Department of State will be holding public meetings in the five states along the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.  In a letter to secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska reiterated his call for the State Department to hold its announced Nebraska public meeting in or near the Sand Hills region.  Johanns fells – the State Department needs to get an idea of just where TransCanada is proposing to run its pipeline.

Johanns says department officials should wade ankle-deep in the water of the Aquifer and feel the soft composition of the Sand Hills to get an idea of what will be required to dig a trench and bury a pipeline in such a sensitive environment. The Senator adds, – holding a meeting 100 miles outside the Sand Hills won’t cut it; the State Department needs to understand the fragile nature of the proposed route and ensure affected Nebraska landowners have easy access to the meeting.