WASHINGTON - Nebraska rancher Randy Thompson said Friday that when TransCanada Inc. was first trying to get his land for its Keystone XL oil pipeline, he would have been satisfied with a rerouting of the controversial project.
Since then, though, he has come to view it as an "ill-conceived idea" that would endanger residents and the environment wherever it's placed, he said.
Thompson was speaking to reporters before his scheduled testimony to a House subcommittee. The Nebraskan said he would be testifying as someone who would have to live next to this "massive pipeline."
Friday's session is a continuation of a contentious hearing last week on legislation from Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., that would transfer authority over the pipeline to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and require that agency to issue a permit for the project.
Terry's bill would carve out an exception for the Nebraska portions of the route, but opponents say it makes no sense to approve the project until the entire route is determined.
TransCanada has agreed to move the route away from Nebraska's environmentally sensitive Sand Hills but hasn't unveiled that new route.
Republicans sought to force the administration's hand on the project by placing a Feb. 21 deadline for a decision, but President Barack Obama rejected a permit, saying there wasn't enough time for necessary reviews.
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