The Nebraska Public Utilities Commission voted 3-2 on Monday, November 20, 2017, to approve the route of the Keystone XL Pipeline in Nebraska.
The vote came after Commissioner Crystal Rhoades said Keystone "admitted" that it never consulted tribes about the route. According to Rhoades, TransCanada only contacted the Ponca Tribe based in Oklahoma -- not the Ponca Tribe based in Nebraska.
The pipeline would cross the Ponca Trail of Tears, the route the Ponca Tribe was forced to take by the federal government in late 1800s. Some Poncas, under the leadership of Chief Standing Bear, returned to Nebraska following their forced removal. Others stayed in Oklahoma.
No other commissioners spoke during the brief meeting in Lincoln on Monday.
Commissioners voting YES:
Frank E. Landis, Jr.
Tim Schram
Rod Johnson
Commissioners voting NO:
Crystal Rhoades
Mary Ridder
Photo by Kevin Abourezk:
https://twitter.com/kevin_abourezk/status/932639595698700288
