Nebraska Bird Partnership

Thirteen environmental groups, including several with ties to Nebraska, objected Friday to a proposed crude-oil pipeline that would cross a portion of the groundwater-rich Sand Hills.

U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., also expressed his concerns Friday to a top State Department official about taking “full account” of safety and environmental questions regarding the pipeline.  “With the ongoing tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico, federal regulators must take every precaution before proceeding with the pipeline,” Nelson said in a press release.

Friday was the deadline for public comment to the State Department, which is weighing whether to permit the Keystone XL pipeline linking tar-sand oil deposits in western Canada to a pipeline junction at Steele City, Neb.  The 36-inch pipeline would more than double the capacity for shipping tar-sand oil to the United States.

Read more about the groups' objections to the Keystone XL pipeline from the Omaha World-Herald.