Key KXL Pipeline Ruling Nears, ‘Compromise’ Talk Renewed

Omaha, NE.—As a handful of state officials near their long-awaited ruling on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline—some speculate it will come two weeks from today—a key opponent is renewing an offer she hopes no one will refuse.

Jane Kleeb tells News Channel Nebraska she remains ready to take talk of high-profile, anti-pipeline protests off the table.

But her offer depends on a ruling that moves the environmentally controversial pipeline from TransCanada's preferred route.

That move is one of three likely choices facing the 5-member Public Service Commission, the other two options: approving or denying the pipeline outright.

Should the PSC move the KXL—an $8 billion project that would run crude oil from Canada to Mexico—it's expected it would parallel the existing Keystone Pipeline some 60 miles to the east. (Read More Below) And Kleeb, who would prefer an outright denial, says a "twinning" pipeline would find her side promising to take civil disobedience, such as lying down in front of bulldozers, off the table. "We would not stop the process," says Kleeb. [caption id="attachment_1259759" align="alignleft" width="300"] Anti-pipeline protests date back at least seven years, this photo was taken during a 2011 public hearing in Atkinson, Nebraska.[/caption] At the same time TransCanada continues to downplay any talk of twins. "The preferred route was selected because it was the most environmentally responsible route," a company spokesman tells News Channel Nebraska. "It impacts the least amount of land, water crossings and sensitive habitats," says Matthew John. As the PSC's Nov. 23 deadline (that's right Thanksgiving Day) approaches, court appeals are expected regardless of the outcome.