TransCanada Corp. agrees that Nebraska’s newly issued map of environmentally sensitive areas is “extremely helpful” and will help the company determine some alternative routes through the state for its Keystone XL oil pipeline.
James Millar, TransCanada’s manager of communications said: “We needed to see that definitive map that is defined by the State of Nebraska and by the DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) to tell us … this is where we define the sensitive areas to be.”
TransCanada has also proposed connecting the pipeline to the Bakken oilfield in Montana and North Dakota which has become a new major source of crude in the United States. Millar explained that the state map would allow the company to narrow down alternative routes to those that would have a minimal impact on landowners. The company has yet to calculate the additional cost of rerouting the Nebraska leg of the 2700km pipeline.