ABILENE, Kan. (AP) The Keystone oil pipeline is the focus of a panel discussion scheduled for next week in Abilene.
The panel will feature Jim Prescott of TransCanada, the company planning to build the pipeline to move oil from Canadian tar sands through several states, including Kansas. David Daniel, a Texas landowner opposed to the pipeline, will also be on the panel.
Supporters say the Keystone pipeline could significantly reduce U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Opponents say it would bring “dirty oil” that requires huge amounts of energy to extract and could cause an ecological disaster in case of a spill.
The public discussion takes place Monday evening at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene. Thea Nietfeld, of Kansas State University’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy, will be the moderator.