LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The U.S. State Department is offering to meet again with Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, lawmakers and other state officials who have concerns about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Assistant Secretary of State Kerri-Ann Jones said in a letter to Heineman that the department has worked closely and cooperatively with other states where the oil pipeline is expected to cross. The letter came in response to a written inquiry from Heineman as to whether the state has authority to choose the pipeline’s route. Heineman has questioned whether the state has that power, because the pipeline originates in Canada and requires State Department approval. The governor has said he would welcome the project, but only if pipeline operator TransCanada agreed to move it away from groundwater-rich Nebraska Sandhills.