LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The first of five Nebraska bills aimed at oil pipelines is set for a public hearing.
The Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a public hearing on a bill by Fullerton Sen. Annette Dubas. The proposal (LB1) would give the state’s Public Service Commission the authority to oversee siting for major oil pipelines. The commission would have to approve a pipeline developer’s application before the developer could use eminent domain to make way for such a project.
Dubas introduced the bill during a special session aimed at the Keystone XL, a proposed pipeline that would cut through the Nebraska Sandhills and Ogallala aquifer. The project is awaiting U.S. State Department approval.