State Dept. heads to Neb. for oil pipeline hearing

PORT ARTHUR, Texas - After a largely amicable first round of public hearings into a proposed Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, U.S. State Department officials could encounter fierce resistance during a listening session in Nebraska.

Environmentalists and some landowners are planning to rally outside the Pershing Center near the state Capitol in Lincoln. They argue the Keystone XL pipeline would carry dirty oil. The proposed $7 billion pipeline would move tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, through six U.S. states.

During the opening round of hearings Monday, Texans praised the project while Kansas residents were concerned about its potential dangers.

But the opposition could be stronger Tuesday in Nebraska. There's growing concern about the pipeline's effect on a vast subterranean reservoir that provides water across a large swath of the Great Plains.

More on the tar sands pipeline:
Environmentalists protest proposed Canada to Texas oil pipeline
GOP Nebraska gov. asks Obama to stop tar sands pipeline