Wednesday afternoon the Nebraska state legislature authorized a invoice (LB1161) that may allow Nebraska to proceed with a $2 million examine to find a route for TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline via petrochemical Products the state. Gov. Dave Heineman is predicted to sign the measure into law. It is a case of Big Purple going for the black by jeopardizing the inexperienced. But what does this mean?

First, it signifies that the worldwide “people power” motion towards the Keystone XL pipeline beat back the energy and oil industry in January when President Obama and the State Department denied TransCanada’s pipeline permit. Our “united we stand” organizing technique was efficient. It compelled the TransCanada to switch ways.

Now the oil business is pushing a “divide and conquer” tactic. The plan is to break the pipeline up into state-sized parts and negotiate on every part. But defensive wars are won more usually than offensive ones. And Americans towards the pipeline are fighting a defensive conflict to guard our land in opposition to a self-serving foreign oil company. Our forces are extra agile in fighting state-primarily based regional battles than TransCanada’s blunt money-shoving weapon. While proposed route changes away from the environmentally sensitive Sandhills are very laudable and should be supported, one does not wish to spend a lot time praising the alignment of the Titanic’s deck chairs when the sirens are sounding.

Second, it implies that Nebraska wants cash and the proud Cornhuskers within the lege will do what’s essential to get it. Since the oil industry lobbyists have satisfied the Obama administration to allow new routes to be proposed, Nebraska is leaping into the new maneuvering space — partly to maintain filling the state’s depleted coffers with funds from the TransCanada money cow. The invoice authorized at this time will re-start the pipeline “review” course of on the state level. And, the invoice requires TransCanada to reimburse the state for the route examine. Ka-ching!

Nebraska’s Gov. Dave Heineman (Republican) has been walking a high-quality line between the stress for “jobs” in his depressed Midwestern state and environmental issues about working an oil pipeline by “America’s well,” the Oglala Aquifer. Earlier this 12 months Heineman was strongly towards the pipeline because of the results of an oil spill may have within the Sandhills, where water tables — including these of the huge Ogallala Aquifer — are high. A spill could be devastating for drinking water and for agricultural water needed to keep Nebraska steers watered for producing these fine Omaha steaks. In 2011, TransCanada had 12 oil spills within the U.S. Fears are well-founded.

Third, it means it is time for Nebraskans to show up the heat on their governor and legislators. The re-ignited Keystone evaluate will seemingly fast-observe eminent domain powers by the state. Anyone alongside the new proposed route will likely be offered fairly money up entrance by TransCanada to promote their inheritance for pottage. If that does not work, then the state will start exercising its right to take land and houses and pay backside dollar for the property.

Finally, a reminder. It’s deceptive for news reports to call the Keystone XL a “crude-oil pipeline.” It isn’t — at least not in any widespread understanding of the phrase. It is a “artificial oil and bitumen” or “tar sands oil” pipeline. It is a non-normal petroleum product that cannot be transported safely by traditional pipelines. It is even more toxic than traditional crude oil.

The political shenanigans around the Keystone XL pipeline will continue by way of the election season. President Obama is fearful of alienating his Large Oil funders. States desperately want cash and will look to personal trade to get it — even when it means cutting off your nose to spite their face.

However let’s keep the big picture in thoughts. The Canadian tar sands are the second largest carbon reserve on the earth. Mining these reserves already entails clear-reducing boreal forests, breaking indigenous treaties, irreversibly damaging water quality, and introducing toxic waste into the meals chain affecting human health, especially the health of pregnant women and their developing babies.

And it takes 8,800 pounds of earth and tar sands, plus a mean of 155 gallons of contemporary water, to produce one barrel of tar sands oil, which can fill half a tank of a Chevy Suburban. The U.S.