Nebraskans Outraged Over Rep. Lee Terry's Keystone XL 'Fast-Track' Bill

WASHINGTON—Nebraskans suspected that somebody on Capitol Hill would try to force the Obama administration to drastically speed up decision-making on the now-delayed Keystone XL pipeline.

They just never figured it would be one of their own.

The chutzpah of Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry in trying to fast track the pipeline has outraged Cornhuskers who labored for years to reroute the fiercely debated $7 billion project out of the environmentally sensitive Sandhills. Some are predicting that the seven-term Republican could be punching himself a one-way ticket out of Washington with this attempted legislative end-run.

"We feel like we're being totally undermined," rancher and farmer Randy Thompson told InsideClimate News. "I don't see how this wouldn't make him vulnerable in the next election. He might be in for a rude awakening in 2012."

House leadership appears intent on rolling Terry's measure into this week's vote on a mega-bill that features the extension of a payroll tax break as its centerpiece. Action could come as early as Tuesday as Congress scurries to wrap up loose ends before a Christmas break.

Terry's North American Energy Access Act sidesteps the State Department, which has authority over the project because the pipeline crosses an international border. Instead, it requires Calgary-based TransCanada to apply for a Keystone XL permit via the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission—and give FERC just 30 days to act on the application. That would force the Obama administration to approve or reject the pipeline before the November 2012 presidential election.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has said such legislation would be dead on arrival in his chamber. Meanwhile, a carefully treading-President Obama—hesitating to utter the word veto—has vowed to reject the bill if it crosses his desk.

Still, just the thought that Terry, 49, could be so completely tone deaf in his home state fires up Jane Kleeb. The executive director of Bold Nebraska was instrumental in uniting a diverse coalition of farmers, ranchers and environmental organizations.

The coalition fears Terry's measure could compromise the relocation of the Keystone XL and jeopardize the rights of landowners who live and work along the new, yet-to-be-determined route.

Rep. Lee Terry/Credit: Nebraska Library Commission, flickr"He thinks he doesn't have to be accountable to Nebraskans," she said, noting that neither Terry nor his staffers spoke out for or against Keystone XL during the lengthy State Department hearing process. "Yet he's back in Washington, D.C., doing the bidding of Big Oil and quite frankly he should be ashamed of himself."

Terry's office did not respond to requests for comment from InsideClimate News.

State Sen. Ken Haar pointed out that what Terry is orchestrating in the nation's capital reminds him of an "Alice in Wonderland" theme where events just keep getting "curiouser and curiouser."

"It's just bizarre on his part," said Haar, a Democrat who represents a district in and around the capital city of Lincoln. "I guess the question is, has he been listening to Nebraskans? They've spoken pretty loudly. I don't know what he’s trying to accomplish other than getting his name in the newspapers."

Why Terry Spoke Up

What triggered Terry's bill is no mystery.