As Nebraskans were listening to the Huskers beat Western Kentucky, the game was interrupted with sponsored ads from TransCanada, the multi-national oil company that wants to build a second pipeline right through the Sandhills and the Ogallala aquifer.

Bold Nebraska urges our readers to email David Witty, the Manager of Husker marketing, and ask him to never allow a multi-national company to get on our airwaves and lie to Nebraskans again.

The misleading ads stated, 

“The Keystone Pipeline: Good for Nebraska, Good for America.”

 What the ads should have said was,

“The Keystone Pipeline: takes jobs away from Nebraskans and ships oil produced in the United States to China.”

90% of the pipeline construction jobs from TransCanada go to out-of-state workers.  Nebraskans only get 10% of the short-term, low-paying jobs.

Oil that TransCanada pumps through our land and water is not even for the United States.  The oil is sold on the international market to the highest bidder.  Recent reports document China securing contracts for the TransCanada oil.

Additionally, questions from elected leaders, landowners and advocacy groups about the safety of the steel TransCanada used for their first pipeline — called Keystone I which is already in the ground in our state — are constantly being raised. 

Just this past week, TransCanada’s pipeline Keystone I (which has only been in operation for about a month) was shut down for “unscheduled maintenance.”  Whenever a pipeline is shut down for unscheduled maintenance it could mean two things:

1) TransCanada knows they have a problem with their steel and is checking the pump station fittings because of the leaks in South Dakota.

2) PHMSA forced TransCanada to perform a high resolution “inline deformation” testing to check for weak steel since reports from advocacy group Plains Justice say that TransCanada used faulty steel from India.

Our state leaders have not done enough to protect Nebraska landowners and our water.  At least in Montana and South Dakota, where they have some basic state laws, the candidates for Governor are sharing ideas and debating how to best protect their land and economic activity from TransCanada.
Why would TransCanada lie to Nebraskans?  Because they want our land, and they want us to think putting our largest source of clean water at risk is “Good for Nebraska” so they can continue to build a web of oil pipelines throughout the United States for their one goal — making money for their company.

Action:

Email David Witty, the Manager of the Husker broadcasts and ads.  Ask him to never allow a multi-national company, like TransCanada, to get on our airwaves and lie to Nebraskans again. Tell David Witty we care about our Huskers just as much as we care about our land, water and economic activity.  We cannot afford another TransCanada Keystone pipeline in our state.


Pictures from Sierra Club of land in Canada before and after the TransCanada tarsands oil extraction process, and a duck caught in the sludge that is a byproduct of tarsands oil.
tarsands before and after   ducks in tarsands  
Hat tip to @NewNebraska for tweeting and giving us a heads up about the radio ads.