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Published January 26, 2017
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," January 19, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
NEIL CAVUTO, HOST OF “YOUR WORLD”: All right, well, stick that in your corn pipe and just smoke it.
After the president shucks plans for a new Keystone pipeline from Canada, at least one governor is pointing the finger directly at the Cornhusker State.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BRIAN SCHWEITZER, D-MONT.: I sign off on pipeline permits. And we have signed off on it in Montana as they have in South Dakota. But the State Department is asked to sign off on a pipeline to nowhere.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: So when the president makes a statement like he did today that this is being rushed and the House Republicans are rushing this on him, what was he talking about?
SCHWEITZER: He’s talking about you cannot sign this until Nebraska has a route.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAVUTO: I was scratching my head on that.
And I thought I got to call Governor Heineman up. The Nebraska Republican governor joining us right now.
Governor Heineman, very good to have you.
GOV. DAVE HEINEMAN, R-NEB.: Neil, I’m glad to be with you to set the record straight.
CAVUTO: What is it? What happened? He is blaming you. He’s blaming at least officials in your state not getting their act together where this thing would go, should go. You tell me.
HEINEMAN: OK.
Well, first of all, I like Governor Schweitzer, but the fact of the matter he is, he is protecting his Democrat buddy, President Barack Obama. We ought to put party politics aside, do what is best for America. And the president should have said yesterday, I approve the pipeline. TransCanada was perfectly willing to begin construction at the northern border of our country and the southern headed towards Nebraska.
There are three states above us and below us that they would have to construct the pipeline before they get to Nebraska while we conclude a final supplemental environmental impact statement on a route that we are confident will be approved.
(CROSSTALK)
CAVUTO: But you said he had not done that. No, but here’s where I want to be clear, sir; he said you had not done that, and because you hadn’t done that, it had to be kicked back to Washington because it is not considered a finished plan. Nebraska is not done with its plan.
HEINEMAN: Well, that is not totally accurate.
I agree with what he is saying. We are changing the route slightly. But the old route that was proposed and the State Department said generally was OK was through the most environmentally sensitive -- going through the most environmentally sensitive portion of Nebraska called the Sandhills.
And we are just going to move it a few miles to the east through less environmentally sensitive areas. So I don’t have any doubt the environmental impact statement will be approved, it will be OK from that perspective. This is what we normally call out here in the Midwest use a little common sense, approve the route, continue to move forward above and below us, and by the time they get to Nebraska, we will have our part done.
CAVUTO: All right, you are much more attuned to what is going on in your neck of the woods than I am, sir, but I think how I read this in my layman’s sort of assessment, analogy here, would be like when you are going to a closing, and your lawyer is telling you -- closing on a home -- you are not going to have any problems, everything is approved, and we have all the forms here.
But it turns out when you get there, you do not have your check for the lawyer, you do not have your check for the realtor, you don’t have your occupancy clearance from the town officials. In other words, you might be on parent ready to go, but you don’t have the papers to say you are ready to go, so you can’t go, and the closing is delayed.
That is essentially what the Montana governor was saying, that you guys in Nebraska -- I’m not trying to cause any fights between your fine and lovely states -- is that you guys were not ready, and so they could not close, and now you guys are blaming President Obama.
HEINEMAN: Well, that’s not entirely accurate, because the fact of the matter, we had a route going through the environmentally sensitive part of Nebraska that was OK with the State Department.
So, this is one time where I think -- I understand what you are saying. TransCanada is perfectly willing to go ahead with what I would describe as a conditional yes, with the understanding that Nebraska will get its job done. And I’m here to tell you, we will get our job done.
I think Governor Schweitzer said he would bet $100 the president is going to approve it. I will bet him $100 that Nebraska will get its job done. So let’s get moving. Let’s put American jobs first.
CAVUTO: All right. So there are no $10,000 bets going on here for now?
HEINEMAN: I’m going to avoid that one.
CAVUTO: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
HEINEMAN: But I will be glad to take Brian’s $100, if he would like to bet me.
CAVUTO: All right, or one of those ties of his.
All right, Governor Heineman, thank you very much. Good to have you.
HEINEMAN: Thank you.
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