Despite the growing protest about the proposed Canadian oil pipeline through Nebraska’s Sandhills, Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) said Wednesday that he has sent a letter to the President and CEO of TransCanada Corporation, seeking assurances that the company is negotiating fairly with Nebraskans.

“I wrote to TransCanada’s CEO asking for his assurance that their negotiations with Nebraskans are above board,” Johanns said. “Landowners tell me that TransCanada has set arbitrary deadlines for acceptance of payment offers and threatened the use of eminent domain without so much as an approved permit to move forward with the project. In my letter, I ask TransCanada to immediately lift any deadlines imposed on Nebraska landowners and to negotiate in good faith.”

 Why oil from tar sands are important is that much of the world’s oil (more than 2 trillion barrels) is in the form of tar sands, although it is not all recoverable.

“While tar sands are found in many places worldwide, the largest deposits in the world are found in Canada (Alberta) and Venezuela, and much of the rest is found in various countries in the Middle East. In the United States, tar sands resources are primarily concentrated in Eastern Utah, mostly on public lands. The in-place tar sands oil resources in Utah are estimated at 12 to 19 billion barrels,” according to this website.

With the U.S. the largest consumer of oil in the world, having this reserve so close at hand it could be an economic and strategic advantage to the U.S.

But the downside is huge. And with global warming and climate change a real concern, continued dependence on fossil fuels could be environmentally damaging, especially to the world’s food supply.

Nebraska finds itself is a unique position with the proposed oil pipeline. By stopping its construction in Nebraska, the state sends a huge message that there are safer alternatives, such as the development of the state’s wind energy potential and tapping into Nebraska huge solar energy potential as Nebraska ranked 13th in the nation in a 2006 survey. Nebraska ranks sixth in the nation in wind energy potential.

Also, Nebraska sits over one the largest fresh water reserves in the world with the Ogallala Aquifer.

There may be a short-term advantage to exploiting the tar sand oil reserves, but with its potential environmental harm, the question is, Is it worth the cost?