Keystone XL developer is generous with political cash
LINCOLN, Neb. — The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline is showering Nebraska public officials with campaign cash as it fights for regulatory approval in a state that is one of the last lines of resistance for the $8 billion project.
A political action committee for TransCanada has donated more than $65,000 to campaigns within the last year, mostly to Republican state lawmakers, the Nebraska GOP and Gov. Pete Ricketts, according to an Associated Press review of campaign disclosure records.
Pipeline foes say the contributions show the company is trying to exert influence over the state’s top elected officials at the expense of landowners who don’t want the pipeline running through their property.
“There is no question big political donations have bought some politicians,” said Jane Kleeb, president of the Bold Alliance.
Kleeb said her group has worked to recruit and support candidates who openly oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. She noted that activists have kept the project from moving forward for a decade, despite being outspent.
TransCanada proposed the pipeline in July 2008.
Within the past year, TransCanada has given $25,000 to Ricketts’ reelection campaign, $15,000 to the Nebraska Republican Party and $25,500 to state lawmakers, according to filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.
TransCanada spokesman Matthew John defended the contributions.
“We participate in an open and transparent political process and will continue to support elected officials and public policies that promote the safe and environmentally responsible development of North American energy infrastructure,” he said.
Most of the donations were made last year, before a state regulatory commission narrowly approved the project. The Nebraska Public Service Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the pipeline in November, but its decision is mired in a pending lawsuit before the state Supreme Court and could get returned for a new review. Oral arguments in the case aren’t expected until September at the earliest.
In a statement, Ricketts campaign spokesman Matthew Trail said the governor “appreciates the support of each of the more than 2,700 contributors to his re-election campaign, who share his vision for a bright, prosperous future for our growing state.”