Nebraska Lawmakers Could Challenge Pipeline Route

LINCOLN, NE - Nebraska's governor is calling lawmakers into a special session that could allow them to challenge the route of a transnational oil pipeline that would cut through six states.

Republican Gov. Dave Heineman said Monday he wants to find a legal solution for state oversight of oil pipelines, including the hotly contested Keystone XL project. 

The U.S. State Department has authority over the Keystone project because it would cross the national border. It's scheduled to approve or deny a permit by year's end.

Heineman says he'll call the lawmakers into session November 1. He acknowledges they'll face steep challenges with any proposal that might affect the Keystone project that has been in the planning and review stage for years.

Any state law that derails the proposal faces an all-but-certain legal challenge.