× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

LINCOLN — A University of Nebraska at Omaha professor testified Wednesday that land values and tax revenue would be hurt by construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Michael O’Hara, an economics professor, said rural land values along the pipeline route would fall by 15 percent because of the risks of oil spills, limitations on development and expensive studies that would be required to prove that the land hadn’t been contaminated.

The 36-inch-diameter pipeline would transport up to 830,000 barrels a day of heavy crude from western Canada to the Nebraska/Kansas border. It would be buried 48 inches deep.

“If you go to sell the land, the mere existence of a pipeline will require you to do an environmental assessment if you want to comply with the (federal) Superfund law,” O’Hara said.

His testimony runs counter to a study done by two University of Nebraska-Kearney professors who concluded that the pipeline would have no impact on land values. Because major spills are rare, the effect of those could not be assessed, said professors Ron Konecny and L. Allan Jenkins.

Patrick Pepper, an attorney for TransCanada, also pointed out that the U.S. State Department’s review projected no decrease in land values.