"Defenders of Tradition in Keystone Pipeline Fight"

Near Bradshaw, Nebraska, the four Harrington sisters fight the Keystone XL pipeline, which they fear could threaten land their family has farmed for 150 years. Their unpainted, solar-powered barn, plastered with slogans, sits smack in the path of the pipeline.

"BRADSHAW, Neb. — An unpainted wooden barn sits in a snow-dusted cornfield along a gravel road, one of many that dot the rural horizon here.

This barn, however, contains no horses, tractors or farming tools. Its roof is covered with solar panels, there is a windmill out front, and the interior is plastered with signs with slogans like 'Build Our Energy' and “#NOKXL,” in protest of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which could run under the property if President Obama approves the project.

The 1,179-mile pipeline, first proposed in 2008, would carry oil from Canada into the United States, connecting with existing pipelines in southern Nebraska. In Congress, the Senate continues to debate a bill to approve the pipeline, and the House has already passed a bill to approve its construction."

Mitch Smith reports for the New York Times January 22, 2015.