© Omaha Senator Scott Lautenbaugh wants to kill the bill. He submitted 17 amendments in Monday's session to try and choke the proceedings. A filibuster may follow at some point.LINCOLN (KPTM) - Mike Flood announced Monday afternoon during debate that Canadian oil company TransCanada, the company behind the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline will voluntarily reroute the project around the Nebraska sand hills and Ogallala Aquifer.
"I just want to say this is a great day for Nebraska," Flood said during a press conference after the debate.
The Nebraska State Legislature started full legislative debate Monday afternoon in the special session called to address the pipeline. At the center of debate was LB4, which would essentially give the Governor the power to reroute the proposed Keystone Pipeline.
TransCanada announced it was willing to move it's proposed route outside the Aquifer. The company made that announcement five days after the State Department under the Obama Administration said it wanted to look at other routes.
"For the past several weeks my team and I have met with many Nebraskans and I think we better understand their concerns about the Sandhills," said TransCanada President Alexander Pourbaix.
Lawmakers say Nebraska will now take the lead in deciding where the pipeline will be built but they have yet to give an up or down vote on LB4.
Gov. Dave Heinemann called for the special session a month ago.
