The Nebraska Legislature moved a bill yesterday that would study alternative routes for a contested oil pipeline, as more than 100 mayors from California to Maine expressed their concerns about the Keystone XL project.

The Legislature voted unanimously to advance an amendment authorizing Nebraska's Department of Environmental Quality to collaborate with the State Department on an independent environmental review of TransCanada's Keystone XL, which would run from Canada to Texas if built.

The amendment was announced as part of a deal struck Monday, when TransCanada agreed to reroute the $7 billion pipeline around Nebraska's Sandhills region (ClimateWire, Nov. 15).

The measure must be voted on again by the full Legislature before reaching Gov. Dave Heineman's (R) desk, but is expected to pass and inform the State Department's ongoing environmental review process of the 1,700-mile oil conduit. The likely date for a vote is Tuesday, said Jane Kleeb of Bold Nebraska.

State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said this week at a briefing that the timeline for the department's review "has not changed," even though the Nebraska segment of the review process could be shorter -- six to nine months.

In announcing a delay on a decision on a cross-border permit for the project, the State Department said it needed more time to analyze alternative routes around the Sandhills in a process that would take until at least 2013.

Meanwhile, 103 mayors sent a letter to President Obama expressing concerns about oil spills and Keystone XL's impact on climate change, among other issues.

"By diverting tar sands crude from Midwest refineries where it currently goes, to the Gulf, Keystone XL opens the door for it to be sold at higher prices to the Gulf and export markets. This will likely raise Midwest fuel prices," said Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie in a statement accompanying the letter.

Industry supporters disagree with the argument that the pipeline would raise energy prices, or worsen climate change, considering that Canada produces a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions.

In response to the mayors, TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha pointed to previous letters from pipeline supporters in local communities, including the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Mississippi Trucking Association.

The city of Tyler, Texas, for example, released a letter this fall saying Keystone XL was needed to enhance energy security, since Venezuelan and Mexican oil suppliers to Texas refineries have been reducing their imports in recent years.

The pipeline has provided Obama with the biggest environmental challenge of his presidency, with protesters claiming it would worsen climate change and supporters saying it is needed to wean the United States off of foreign oil.