Limon Office Lubbock Office P.O. Box 9 5401 N MLK Blvd., Unit 395 Limon, CO 80828 Lubbock, TX 79403 P: 303.586.1787 P: 806.775.2338 F: 719.775.9073 Fax: 806.775.3981
www.portstoplains.com
December 4, 2012 Pat Rice via Email: NDEQ.SEISpubliccomment@Nebraska.gov Project Manager NDEQ Pipeline Project Comments P.O. Box 98922 Lincoln, NE 68509-8922 Re: Keystone XL Pipeline Evaluation Dear Mr. Rice: We are writing to express our strong support for findings on the Keystone XL pipeline. We fully support this project because we believe it is in the best interest of our constituents, the state of Nebraska and the entire country. The specific findings in the draft report that we agree with include:
The Nebraska Reroute avoids the region that was identified as the Sand Hills by NDEQ, which is based on extensive research conducted by various state and federal agencies several years ago.
Keystone provided some route alternatives in the Supplemental Environmental Report which reduces the amount of fragile soils that are crossed in the northern portion of Nebraska.
The revised route also establishes greater distances from the sources of drinking water in the communities of Clarks and Western.
The report details environmental, economic, social and other impacts along the Nebraska Reroute.
Numerous construction and operational mitigation measures would be incorporated to protect groundwater and surface water.
Keystone would pay for an independent public employee to act as a liaison to facilitate the exchange of information between Keystone and landowners, local communities, and residents.
Keystone would provide baseline water well testing for domestic and livestock water wells within 300 feet of the center line of the route.
Keystone would adhere to 57 special pipeline safety conditions that had been previously agreed upon with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Keystone would be responsible for developing an Emergency Response Plan for a product release associated with the operation of the Keystone XL Pipeline and ancillary facilities.
Support for Keystone XL Pipeline – Nebraska Keystone XL Pipeline Review December 4, 2012 Page 2
Keystone has identified several variations of crude oil that would be transported at various times through the pipeline from Alberta, Canada and from the Bakken Formation in Montana and North Dakota. The report contains the general characteristics of the crude oil, which are similar to other crude oils from around the world. In the event of a spill, the appropriate authorities would have immediate access to the product’s Material Safety Data Sheet.
In addition to complying with all relevant state and federal cleanup requirements, Keystone will provide evidence that it is carrying $200 million in third party liability insurance to cover cleanup costs for incidents in Nebraska. Our communities are members of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, a grassroots coalition of cities, counties, businesses, economic development organizations and chambers of commerce from a ten-state, 2,300 mile long transportation and economic development corridor that stretch from Texas to Alberta, Canada, including Nebraska. Keystone XL will provide significant economic benefits for our region. The pipeline is expected to create approximately 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs in the United States. It could also generate more than $5.2 billion in tax revenue to the Keystone XL corridor states. At a time when state and local governments across the country are struggling to balance their budgets, these employment and revenue benefits are critical to our region. Specific benefits for Nebraska include:
More than $465 million in new spending for the Nebraska economy
More than 7,500 person years of employment
Increased personal income by $314 million
Additional state and local tax revenues of more than $11 million
$390 million in increased Gross State Product The pipeline is also critical to our country’s efforts to reduce our dependence on Middle East and Venezuelan oil, by increasing our access to supplies from Canada, our neighbor and loyal ally, as well as domestic supplies from the Bakken Formation of Montana and North Dakota. Relying upon regimes that are in many cases unstable and unfriendly to the United States is simply bad energy and national security policy. We have seen the shocks to our economy from oil spikes caused by turmoil in these regions. It is much preferable to develop stable, secure domestic and Canadian sources. By providing refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast with more than 700,000 barrels of oil each day from domestic and Canadian resources, this pipeline will dramatically reduce our reliance on oil from unreliable and often unfriendly sources. As leaders from the region that the entire Keystone XL pipeline will traverse, we applaud the State of Nebraska and the Division of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) thoroughness during this review process. We also have confidence that TransCanada will be a good steward of the land and that Keystone XL will be constructed using industry best practices and will meet or exceed all existing pipeline regulatory standards. The Keystone XL pipeline is clearly in the nation’s interest and will be a valuable tool in strengthening our national security and energy security. Sincerely,
Ed
Mayo
Mayor
City
of
Gering
Gering,
NE
69341
Sandy
McCarthy
County
Commissioner
Box
Butte
County
Alliance,
NE
69301
Deb
Cottier
Director
Nebraska
Northwest
Development
Corp
Chadron,
NE
69337
Lane
Danielzuk
Chairman
Heartland
Expressway
Association
Gering,
NE
69341
Tim
Garwood
Board
Member
Heartland
Expressway
Association
Alliance,
NE
69301
Chelsie
Herian
Executive
Director
Box
Butte
Development
Corporation
Alliance,
NE
69301
Travis
Hiner
Board
Member
Heartland
Expressway
Association
Scottsbluff,
NE
69361
Marlin
Johnson
Communications
Director
Heartland
Expressway
Association
Scottsbluff,
NE
69361
Chuck
Karpf
Executive
Director
Panhandle
Area
Development
District
Gering,
NE
69341
Steve
Burgess
Ports
‐
to
‐
Plains
Board
/
County
Commissioner
Lincoln
County
Limon,
CO
80828
Julie
Coonts
Mayor
Town
of
Limon
Limon,
CO
80828
Beverly
Haggard
Ports
‐
to
‐
Plains
Board
/
City
Council
City
of
Lamar
Lamar
,
CO
81052
Roger
J.
Stagner
Mayor
City
of
Lamar
Lamar
,
CO
81052
Patricia
Vice
Mayor
/
Executive
Director
Town
of
Genoa
/
Lincoln
County
Economic
Development
Genoa,
CO
80818