In the beginning, the fight by Nebraska ranchers against the Keystone XL pipeline was about protecting the vital Ogallala Aquifer. Somewhere along the way, concerns about water disappeared.

The company that wants to build a pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast said it would change the line's route to avoid the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, but the new route still is above the Ogallala Aquifer, InsideClimate News has learned.

Critical to rural development are a regional approach, greater flexibility among federal programs, and more investment, from government, lenders and foundations.

The Keystone XL pipeline may avoid the territory officially designated as the "Sand Hills," but Nebraska ranchers tell the governor that land nearby is equally sensitive.