The Nebraska Sierra Club, Bold Nebraska and the Nebraska Wildlife Federation today call attention to the fact that TransCanada’s ever-changing figures show that building the Keystone XL Pipeline would result in few jobs for Nebraskans and increased gas prices, which could range from 7 to 15 cents a gallon in the Midwest.
“We are concerned about the negative impact of an increase in the price of gas on the economy of our state,” said Ken Winston, Nebraska Sierra Club spokesperson. “Such increases only benefit oil companies, and harm everyone else.”
Independent studies from the Department of State and Plains Justice show actual jobs produced and find only 12% of the jobs in Nebraska will actually go to Nebraskans.
“TransCanada changes their jobs numbers every time they release their figures,” said Jane Kleeb Bold Nebraska executive director. “Their figures went from 13,000 jobs to 325,000 jobs in a few months. A few temporary jobs are not worth the risk to the Sandhills and Ogallala Aquifer, Nebraska’s most precious natural resource.”
Duane Hovorka noted, “The pursuit of short term gain was a major contribution to the economic disaster of 2008. We are concerned that this pipeline is another short-sighted attempt to sell an ill-conceived project to people who are hurting financially. We need to have vision and consider the long-term consequences of this pipeline on our economy and natural resources.”
The Nebraska Sierra Club, Bold Nebraska and the Nebraska Wildlife Federation called for the development of clean, American-made energy as a better way to create jobs and promote economic development in Nebraska.
“Nebraska has tremendous renewable energy resources that will generate far more jobs, both short-term and long-term, than a risky pipeline being promoted by a foreign company,” said Ken Winston. 1000 megawatts of wind development is projected to create 250 permanent jobs in the state. “This kind of development provides income for years to come, and doesn’t have the potential for disaster that comes with this pipeline.”
The National Wildlife Federation has a brief, 2-page report on TransCanada’s exaggerated job numbers.
Contacts:
Ken Winston, 402-476-6583, ken.winston@nebraska.sierraclub.org
Jane Kleeb, 402-705-3622, jane@boldnebraska.org
Duane Hovorka, 402-804-0033, duane@nebraskawildlife.org
