Jane Kleeb vs. the Keystone Pipeline

from Richard Silvestri

“On April 18, the State Department announced that it wouldn’t decide on Trans­Canada’s permit application until the Nebraska court ruled. As of today, Nebraska is the crucial piece in determining the fate of the line: until the State Supreme Court rules, there can’t be a final route, and until there’s a final route, the State Department won’t decide on the permit”.

Jane’s next focus is South Dakota, where Trans­Canada’s four-year construction permit will need to be recertified in June. The company will face an environment far more hostile than the one it encountered when the project was first proposed.  In late April, Kleeb held rallies on the National Mall with a group referred to as the “new C.I.A.” — the Cowboy and Indian Alliance — made up of ranchers from along the pipeline’s route and Sioux from South Dakota tribes. We can’t beat Trans­Canada with money,” she said. “We don’t have millions to spend. But we have you.” Standing in the audience, I was struck by how insular the group seemed, hardened by a shared struggle. They talked with great feeling about what the fight against Trans­Canada had given them: a new community, new friends, a new purpose.  “You’re asking people to be involved.  It’s part of our human nature. People want to be asked to do something bigger than themselves.”