Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts didn't hide his support for Keystone XL after he emerged from a meeting with Canada’s Finance Minister Bill Morneau in Toronto late Tuesday.

"I'm biased because I'm in favour of it," Ricketts told reporters. "I don't see a reason why it ought not to be [built]."

TransCanada's controversial pipeline is the subject of a week-long public hearing in Ricketts' state, as Nebraska's Public Service Commission solicits stakeholder feedback on the project.

"I'm certainly hopeful that they'll go ahead and determine it's in the public interest because this is something that's going to be good for Nebraska, it's going to create jobs in my state," he said.

"And it's also great for the United States from a security standpoint – helping us with our energy security."

Ricketts noted his office isn't involved in the Public Service Commission's review process, and said the regulator likely won't make its decision until the fall.

"This Keystone XL pipeline is a good project for my state and for my country," he said. "So I'm hopeful that the Public Service Commission goes ahead and approves it."