On the recordJanuary 22, 2015
I will be very brief. This is an important amendment, as it deals with the rights of property owners to clean water. The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the western part of the United States, and the Keystone Pipeline would bisect that. At some point the aquifer is only 5 feet from the surface. Private owners drill wells to get their drinking water, and there is no protection in the event there is a spill. A spill is a real possibility. We have seen in prior cases in Michigan and Arkansas the impact of spills from this tar sands oil and the damage it can cause. My amendment is pretty straightforward. It allows our Governors to be able to challenge the safety of their drinking water. It is a States rights issue. It gives the property owners whose wells could be contaminated by this the right of action. I ask my colleagues to favorably consider this amendment. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska. Amendment No. 98 to Amendment No. 2
