Environmental activists continue their sit-in at the White House for a fourth day today, despite dozens of arrests.
They are calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to reject the permits required to develop Keystone XL, a 3,200-kilometre pipeline that would carry crude from Alberta's oil sands to Texas refineries.
The Tyee's Geoff Dembicki has reported extensively on the political war that has been raging in Washington over this decision.
While Canadian officials have been aggressively selling U.S. Congress on the oil sands and proposed pipeline, a coalition of environmental groups from both sides of the border has managed to stall U.S. approval of the project for months.
Author, activist and scholar Bill McKibben is leading the demonstration. He was among those arrested Saturday, and was released yesterday afternoon without charges.
"This is the single key environmental test for Barack Obama between now and the election," McKibben told the Burlington Free Press (a paper based in McKibben's home state of Vermont) following his release. "If he does the right thing, it will send a jolt of electricity to the millions who went out and worked for the guy in 2008."
According to the Environmental News Service, 162 people have been arrested so far. The sit-in is taking place in the so-called "postcard zone" in front of the White House, which is not allowed by the U.S. Park Service. According to reports, new people are arriving every day to take the place of those detained and approximately 2,000 have signed up to take part in the sit-in, which is supposed to continue until September 3.
Colleen Kimmett reports for The Tyee.
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realisticman
39 weeks ago
Traffic Relief?
If they can stop the pipeline they might ease some of the congestion too.
"Traffic jams may force oil sands workers to stop driving.
SIRI AGRELL — Urban Affairs Reporter
Globe and Mail
Aug. 22, 2011
It begins every morning at around 5:30 a.m., a stream of pick up trucks, SUVs and chartered buses crawling their way over the Athabasca Bridge on their way out of Fort McMurray, Alta., on route to the oil sands.
...
That the region needs to change is not up for debate. In 2010, more than 55,000 cars crossed the Athabasca Bridge along Highway 63 every day, up from just over 41,000 in 2004. The city’s population is growing exponentially and, already, a private fleet of more than 500 highway coaches shuttles workers to the sands each day, while some industry plants have parking for more than 5,000 private vehicles."
mopled
39 weeks ago
The spice will flow
You'd think all these genius greenies would figure out that a land based pipeline to the US is much safer than a pipeline to the coast and shipment to China.
Remembering that "the best way to win an argument is to control both sides of it",
I can't help thinking that one must examine the hand that feeds 350.org....the Rockefeller Bros Fund!
“The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.” – David Rockefeller , the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family and only surviving grandchild of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil.
“Doublethink, a word coined by George Orwell in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, describes the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in distinct social contexts. It is related to, but distinct from, hypocrisy and neutrality. Its opposite is cognitive dissonance, where the two beliefs cause conflict in one’s mind.” (source: Wikipedia)"
http://wrongkindofgreen.org/2011/07/09/the-climate-cartel-1sky-350-org-and-rockefeller-brothers-stronger-as-one/
mopled
39 weeks ago
Just did a search for
350.org Rockefeller Fund and came up with dynamite:
http://www.climatesoscanada.org/blog/2011/04/18/rockefellers-1sky-unveils-the-new-350-org-more-more-delusion/
I just love RINGO!
On 6 April 2011 it was announced that the RINGO (Rockefeller initiated NGO) 1Sky and their sister organization 350.org have ‘officially merged’ into one mass climate movement – the ‘NEW’ 350.org."
"According to annual reports and internal revenue service reports collected by Climate Shift, 350.org’s revenue for 2009 was $1,661,440 and 1Sky’s revenue for 2009 was $3,425,549."
So I guess bail money is well covered.
Sask Resident
39 weeks ago
WTI vs Brent
These aren't environmentalists but stooges. If the pipeline is delayed, some US companies will continue to pay $20/bbl less. So some big oil or refining company (like maybe in Cushing, related to Rockefeller's Exxon. Played like a harp to reap $20 million a day! What fools!
Besides, real environmentalists would be worried about reducing real pollution and cleaning up dirty oil, like the dirty oil in California or getting the US off the disastrously filthy Venezuelan oil.
RockyRacoon
39 weeks ago
I guess this is what you call a no brainer in Sask eh?
Cheers,
RR