by Theodore Wiesehan

    Some were angry, some enthusiastic, but most were just curious.
     Around 225 people from Seward, Butler and Saline counties filled the east basement of the Seward Civic Center April 4 to learn a little more about a multi-billion dollar international oil pipeline that energy infrastructure giant, TransCanada, Inc., is planning to build through their backyards.
     Last week's open house was one of a series of informational meetings the group is staging along the route. The previous day saw the group in Stanton and they pushed on to Odell after the Seward meeting.
     Prior to the public open house, TransCanada's project manager for the Keystone pipeline, Brian Peterson, gave a presentation for officials from cities and counties along the proposed route followed by a question and answer forum.
     Opening the meeting to the public, TransCanada representatives then spread throughout the room, answering individual questions as landowners and other community members pored over detailed aerial maps of the proposed route.
     "We've not run into very much opposition at all," Peterson said of the meetings. "Most people have been very supportive of the project."
     The pipeline runs through the county along a north-south line about a mile-and-a-half west of Highway 15, between 294th and 308th roads.
     Though TransCanada expressed reluctance to make significant alterations to the planned route at this stage of development, property owners were given the chance to voice concerns and suggest minor directional shifts.
     When a section of the line was planned to cut diagonally across a flood-irrigated field, for example, the company's representatives recorded the farmer's concerns, saying they will adjust the route so that the pipe will run in the same direction as the rows, eliminating water loss.
     At one point a group of disgruntled farmers swarmed the company's land acquisition representative telling him to "take it (the pipeline) somewhere else," and "why don't you put it under your own house." Most property owners, however, exhibited a resigned acceptance of the pipeline.
     "I don't really have any concerns about it," Seward-area landowner Sheri Rech said. "It's probably going to happen no matter what. You just have to take it and live with it."
     Other residents expressed frustration over the company's failure to offer the public the same town hall-style forum they provided officials.
     In the end, there may be little action available to landowners opposing the pipeline, as Peterson suggested the company will seize any desired easement for which a private agreement cannot be reached.
     "As a crude oil pipeline in Nebraska," he said, "we do have the right of eminent domain."
     The policy of eminent domain allows government entities to force a property owner to sell without their consent, either for the government's use or for projects deemed to be in the best interest of the public.
     The Keystone project, TransCanada's proposed $2.1 billion, 1,830-mile pipeline, will transport thick crude oil from the oil sands of Hardisty, Alberta, to refineries and pipeline hubs in Wood River and Patoka, Ill.
     The 30-inch-diameter pipe will be capable of transporting 435,000 barrels of oil per day, operate at a pressure of 1,440 pounds per square inch and be buried at a minimum depth of four feet.
     Within the coming months, survey crews will walk the length of the route. Pending approval of regulatory permits, TransCanada hopes to begin construction in Nebraska in the summer of 2008. Crews will move one-and-a-half miles per day for each phase of the project. Each section will take eight to 10 weeks from start to finish.
    
    Pipeline details unveiled
     As plans progress for an international oil pipeline traversing Seward County, the project's effect on area residents became a bit clearer last week.
     Brian Peterson, project manager for TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline project answered questions from public officials and filled in details of what the proposed pipeline will mean for landowners at the April 4 open house in the Seward Civic Center.
    Agriculture
     Concerns over agricultural matters dominated many of the landowners' questions.
     When asked about the effect of the pipe on soil temperatures, Peterson assured farmers that the pipeline would not be heated.
     The oil will enter the pipe at 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and warm to 70 degrees by the time it exits, due to friction. Because it will be four feet underground, he said that the temperature would not affect crops in most areas.
     Though TransCanada will retain a permanent 50-foot wide easement over the pipe, after construction is complete crops may be planted over the easement and normal farming operations may continue. Though there will be weight limits for vehicles passing over the pipeline, Peterson said, normal farming equipment may cross easements without restriction.
     In addition to onetime easement payments, based on fair market value, the company will reimburse farmers for crop loss from areas under construction, as well as for crop losses in areas where center-pivot irrigation will be impeded.
     TransCanada employees will also continually monitor the depth of the pipeline itself to detect and correct undue soil erosion or settlement, Peterson said.
    Land development
     Though the pipeline will not affect property zoning, landowners hoping to someday subdivide and develop their land may face difficulty. Restrictions on the easements include digging and erecting structures. Peterson added, however, that in highly-populated areas TransCanada has worked with developers to build around easements.
    Road and river crossings
     Traffic disruptions should prove slim to nonexistent, Peterson said, as the company plans to bore under all major transportation routes. Seldom-used roads may be temporarily closed during the construction process, however.
     "If it's a secondary road, just a dirt road, we might do an open cut," he said.
     For minor river crossings the company plans to temporarily divert water flow through pipes while making an open pipeline cut. Major waterways will require the company to bore below the river.
     "A lot of the rivers we'll open cut," Peterson said. "Some of the large ones (rivers) we'll have to directional drill."
    Safety and security
     When asked about precautions regarding terrorist attacks on the line, Peterson said that the company has no specific plan against terrorism, but will comply with U.S. State Department regulations regarding security.
     In the event of a leak or spill, Peterson stated that the flow of oil can be shut off immediately by a valve at the nearest pumping station. Stations will be placed every 50 miles along the route, though none are planned for Seward County.
     Intermediate shut-off valves will also be located along the route, Peterson said. Their spacing will be determined by guidelines set forth by regulatory agencies and the terrain of each particular area.
     When asked how much oil the pipeline could release if a leak occurred at the furthest point from a shut-off valve, Peterson replied that analysis of potential leakage amount is still underway.
     Seward County Sheriff Joe Yocum asked what sort of emergency training and equipment the company would provide to local emergency response units.
     Peterson replied that TransCanada is in the process of developing local plans specific to the Keystone Pipeline project and plans to work with local units. He added that the company runs annual simulations on each system they operate.
     "When you have something like this come into the equation, when it could potentially impact negatively on our community," Yocum later said of safety concerns, "I would like to know if the company is planning to do anything to help us address any contingencies that come to bear if there is an incident."
     Yocum said he appreciated the response and informational meeting. He hopes that "we will continue these meetings and, as this develops, we'll learn more and become part of that contingency process.
     "If we can look at some of the possibilities and some of the contingencies then we're a lot better off than if we just say, 'Well, they're putting in a pipeline...I guess they'll take care of it.'"