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Pipeline Hearings Draw Crowds

Nebraska's hearings on the new proposed route for the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline from Canada are drawing big crowds. More than 160 people attended Wednesday's meeting in Albion.

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Reporter: The Associated Press

Nebraska's hearings on the new proposed route for the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline from Canada are drawing big crowds. More than 160 people attended Wednesday's meeting in Albion.

Pipeline opponents objected to the original route through the Sandhills and the Ogallala aquifer, a massive groundwater supply. TransCanada proposed a new route that avoids the Sandhills.

Some landowners offered praise for the project. Nick Gasper said he thinks project opponents have used scare tactics and thinks the pipeline offers more benefits than drawbacks.

Pipeline opponents also attended the hearing. Ken Winston with the Nebraska Sierra Club said his group still worries about the pipeline possibly contaminating the aquifer.

The hearings are one of the first steps in the state's review of TransCanada's new proposed route.