Governor Heineman has given his approval for the new route of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. In a letter sent Tuesday to President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Governor Heineman informed them the State of Nebraska had completed the evaluation of the new route. He said the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality found that the new pipeline route would avoid the Sandhills and other fragile land, but would cross the High Plains Aquifer, including the Ogallala group. Heineman added that impacts on aquifers from an oil release should be localized and TransCanada would be held responsible financially for any cleanup. The DEQ also says Keystone would be responsible for developing an emergency response plan, in case of a spill.