ATKINSON, Neb. (AP) – Nebraskans will have another chance to comment on the proposed pipeline that would carry Canadian oil across the Great Plains to refineries in Texas. The U.S. State Department is planning to hold a second hearing on the $7 billion Keystone XL project in Nebraska’s Sandhills on Thursday. The event from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. is likely to significantly increase Atkinson’s population because the first hearing in Lincoln earlier this week attracted several hundred people. TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL project would cross Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. TransCanada also has proposed connecting it to the Bakken oil field in Montana and North Dakota. The pipeline’s proposed route crosses the massive underground Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies water for irrigation and drinking to people in eight U.S. states.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska agriculture officials are concerned that cattle imported into the state from drought-stricken areas of Texas and Oklahoma could bring diseases with them, so they are encouraging ranchers to follow import rules. State Agriculture Director Greg Ibach said Wednesday that officials have begun quarantining herds if ranchers haven’t followed import rules. The Agriculture Department is concerned that cattle from southern states could be infected with trichomoniasis. That disease can cause infertility and miscarriages in cattle. Ranchers must be able to prove the cattle they import are disease-free. Ibach says any Nebraska cattle producers who are thinking about importing animals should contact the state veterinarian’s office to make sure they understand the restrictions. More information is available on the Agriculture Department’s website, www.agr.ne.gov.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Gov. Dave Heineman says he’s concerned the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route through Nebraska is a “done deal,” but pointed to the Obama administration as the final decision-maker. Heineman said Wednesday that the Obama administration could effectively force pipeline operator TransCanada to reroute the line if it denied the permit. Heineman said the company would likely rather move the pipe than lose the project altogether. Farmers, ranchers and other Nebraskans who oppose the project are urging the U.S. State Department to deny the permit during hearings this week. The Republican governor has said he opposes the proposed pipeline route through the Ogallala aquifer, a massive underground U.S. water supply, but would support the project if it was moved somewhere else.