President Obama has announced the denial of TransCanada’s permit request to build the Keystone XL pipeline. The Obama administration’s bold decision will be celebrated for generations to come in our state. Nebraskans worked tirelessly over the past two years educating our neighbors on the risks of tarsands, researching land, wildlife and water impacts, protecting the livelihoods of family farms and ranches and standing up to elected officials who at times ignored the valid concerns of landowners and citizens.
Republicans, including Nebraska’s own Rep. Terry, have started to plot ways to mislead Americans on the pipeline in their efforts to defeat the President. Despite their pathetic attempts to protect Big Oil’s profits instead of protecting Americans’ land and water, citizens will never stop fighting TransCanada’s risky export pipeline.
Randy Thompson, landowner
“This is a hard fought victory for the citizens of Nebraska and this nation, and I can’t thank President Obama enough for making the right call by denying the permit for the Keystone XL. It appears he is one politician who has placed the welfare of our citizens and natural resources ahead of big oil interests. The President has done the right thing and it is my hope that a foolhardy attempt by the Republicans to go around him can be headed off.”
Suz Luebbe, landowner
“I want to thank President Obama for making this tough decision to deny the KXL permit. Standing strong in the Sand Hills of Nebraska against this foreign threat was the hardest task for us landowners while knowing eyes were watching us in D.C. Thank you for watching and listening to the people of your country to make the right decision for the future of our children.”
Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska Director
“From day one of this fight, citizens and landowners had one goal in mind–stopping this risky and unnecessary export pipeline. The next time an oil company thinks they can bully their way through towns threatening landowners I am quite certain they will remember one word, Nebraska. Our state stands very tall and proud today. We united our state to protect our land, water and the heritage of our family farms and ranches.”
Ken Winston, Nebraska Sierra Club
“The President’s decision protects America’s land and water, which is vitally important to our future both strategically and economically. Our land and water will become increasingly valuable as the world’s population grows and demands for food increase. TransCanada’s risky pipeline endangers these vital resources. Denying the permit also opens up opportunities for clean energy development like Nebraska’s abundant wind and solar resources, which will create far more jobs. The tar sands pipeline being pushed by big oil interests represents the same kind of short-term profiteering and bad energy policies that led to $4 a gallon gasoline and near economic collapse under the previous administration. We do not want to go back down that road.”
Duane Hovorka, Nebraska Wildlife Federation Executive Director
“This proposed pipeline would carry us further down the dangerous path of our growing addiction to imported oil. The real solution to our energy needs is major new investments in clean energy solutions like energy efficiency, wind, and solar energy. Those are the solutions that will create real and lasting jobs while protecting our air, land, water and wildlife.”
John Hansen, Nebraska Farmers Union President
“President Obama’s decision appropriately respects the integrity of the decision-making process. Congress would do well to follow his lead. Since landowners will live with this pipeline for the next century, it is imperative that all possible care be taken to protect our landowners, water and land. Keystone XL proponents falsely claim this pipeline represents energy independence and meaningful job creation. The far better national energy and jobs policy that represents true energy independence and real ongoing job creation would be to develop wind resources in North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Congress seems more concerned about Big Oil’s profits than reducing our dependence on foreign oil in the first place.”
Dr. Mary Pipher, citizen advocate and international author
“As a lifelong resident of the state of Nebraska, I applaud President Obama for his courageous and far-sighted denial of the pipeline permit. I have renewed faith in his ability to put our country first and truly lead us into a better situation. I want to state clearly the governor and our legislators who support the Keystone XL do not speak for me. I want my grandchildren and all children to have a future and I want Nebraska and all of the United States to develop clean energy and public transportation. Please know that I will work in any way I can to support elected officials who act to build us a sustainable future. Thank you again, President Obama, for making such a wise choice.”
Jane Wilson, citizen leader, Guardians of the Good Life
“This was never about American jobs or about reducing our dependence on foreign oil, it was about lining the pockets of Big Oil and their cronies. We are thankful that President Obama saw through this scam and put the well-being of the people and the planet ahead of a foreign corporation’s profits, and we hope that any attempts to circumvent this decision will fail miserably. If our nation is ever to be free from the “tyranny of oil,” we have to start somewhere, and rejecting this permit would be a step in the right direction. The bottom line is, we can live without this pipeline, but we can’t live without clean air, clean water and healthy land.”
Buffalo Bruce, Western Nebraska Resources Council
“Western Nebraska Resources Council welcomes this news as the only practical decision the President could make. We are pleased that the threat of more habitat fragmentation of the American Burying Beetle and other sensitive species, is currently off the table.”
Steve Larrick, Elected official, Lower Platte South Natural Resource District
“This is a victory for our environment and for future generations that will look upon this decision as an important step toward reducing our addiction to oil and moving America and the world toward a cleaner, safer and healthier future with tremendous job-creating opportunities in the creation of renewable energy systems and public transportation for all.”
Ben Gotschall, 4th generation Sandhills rancher
“President Obama has made the right choice to deny the permit for the TransCanada Keystone Export pipeline, and for that, I thank him. The people of the United States who have been fighting the threat of this pipeline for years all share one simple belief: that the future safety of our land and water and the health and wellness of people and communities are more important than foreign oil profits. It is encouraging to see a leader who shares that belief. At a time in our nation’s history when there is unprecedented corporate influence of our elected officials, we need to seek out and support those leaders who will fight for the American people, our natural resources, and a sustainable future for our children. On behalf of myself and my family, friends and neighbors in the Nebraska Sandhills, I applaud President Obama for his decision to deny the permit and we will stand with those who stand by him.”
Amy Schaffer, grew up in Sandhills, ranching family
“Thank you President Obama for making the right decision to protect our water and land and the health of the American people for years to come.
Bruce Boettcher, lifelong Sandhills rancher, spoke at DC rally
“President Obama thank you for standing up for us and helping the American people to protect their land and water when nobody else would, especially our own state government.”
RoxAnn Boettcher, Sandhills ranching family
“President Obama thank you for protecting our water, pure water sustains life.”
Annie Anderson, Sandhills ranching family
“Thank you for making a decision to protect my three boy’s future to work and live from the land, they thank you and their kids will thank you.”
Jake Schaffer, Nebraska citizen
“Thank you for making a historic decision that leads us to clean energy.”
For more contact information or questions:
Malinda Frevert, news@boldnebraska.org, 402-290-7732
Jane Kleeb, jane@boldnebraska.org, 402-705-3622
For pictures and videos:
Pictures and videos of Nebraska actions and ranchers
Pictures and videos of national grassroots actions and tarsands
Pictures of tarsands pollution and destruction of land
