The Keystone XL Pipeline and At-Risk Communities in Nebraska

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 10. Environmental Sociology

Abstract

Abstract: Since it was initially proposed, the Keystone XL pipeline has become the center of significant cultural and political debate in the U.S., particularly in Nebraska. Utilizing perspectives from contentious politics, social movement framing and qualitative comparative analysis, this research attempts to understand the dynamics of contention involved in the KXL debate in rural Nebraska through interviews with Nebraska landowners and Bold Nebraska activists, the analysis of State Department public comment transcripts and a comparative analysis of at-risk communities in Nebraska. Research questions addressed include: how are Bold Nebraska, landowners and TransCanada framing their campaigns, what repertoires of contention has Bold Nebraska employed to mobilize rural opposition against the pipeline, and what causal mechanisms are shaping opposition outcomes in Nebraskan communities. Tentative findings suggest anti-pipeline organizations and activists have used creative repertoires of contention designed to resonate with rural communities, primarily centered on the protection of land, water and private property; unique anti-pipeline alliances have formed between unlikely groups and interests, such as Native American tribes and white landowners, and opposition tactics in rural Nebraskan communities have taken different forms depending on both the cultural and agricultural landscape.

Author

• James Patrick Ordner, University of Kansas