Candidate for Public Service Commission could change outcome of Keystone XL Pipeline

There’s a lot of issues on the 2018 midterm ballot that’ll be voted on Tuesday.

One of those is for a seat on the Nebraska Public Service Commission.

The candidate you choose for that district one seat could impact the future of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline.

The options are democrat Christa Yoakum and republican Dan Watermeier.

Yoakum has been campaigning on one key issue- that she’s against the pipeline.

“We’re talking about a really large pipeline going through some really fragile soil,” Yoakum said. “We’re also talking about the potential to take landowners land by imminent domain for a large corporation’s gain.”

She also said there’s no economic gain for the state besides a few jobs that won’t be permanent.

Her opponent, Watermeier, has been serving in the state senate for the last six years.

Watermeier said he respects the decisions the commission has already made on the pipeline, but right now the future of the pipeline lies with the Nebraska Supreme Court.

“If given the chance to vote on this again, I will give both sides of the argument an even look,” Watermeier said. “I have not made up my mind on it and I think it’s improper to come up with a decision ahead of time.”

The Public Service Commission rules on much more than pipelines.

They regulate transmission lines for cell phones, landlines and broadband internet, natural gas, utility issues, transportation and more.

“It deals with the things we take for granted in life,” Watermeier said. “They expect these things to be good and they expect them to be better tomorrow than they are today, so every day you have to make improvements in the telecom world, broadband world, 911 and transportation issues.”

Improving the 911 system and high speed internet access to rural Nebraska are some of Watermeier’s biggest priorities, he said.

Yoakum, actually shares his viewpoints on those issues, saying expanding internet access will open many doors to rural Nebraskans and protect their economy.
She said she wants to improve the 911 system by implementing technology that already exists, like texting and GPS location.

Here’s some more background on these candidates.

Dan Watermeier said he’s had a focus on the environment for years. He served on the NRD for a long time, and has focused much of his work in the legislature on water quality issues and infrastructure issues. He said that’s why he was drawn to the seat on the public service commission. Here’s more information: https://danwatermeier.com/

Christa Yoakum works for Nebraska Appleseed, but has a background as a healthcare worker and has served on many different youth-based volunteer organizations. She said she’s always had a focus on environmental issues, and that will be her big focus on the public service commission if elected. Learn more: http://christaforne.com/christas-pledge/