Say No to the Keystone XL Pipeline

There is so much to be said about the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, but at the end of the day it comes down to the idea of justice.  Justice, because the companies that stand to profit from the project are destroying our climate and that of our children in the process.  Fast Company just posted an article that listed the Alberta Tar Sands as one of the 14 Carbon Bomb projects, that if exploited, would lead to disastrous long-term temperature increases.  Even the Dalai Lama and Nobel Peace Laureates are against this thing.

Yes, we use oil everyday. But stopping the Keystone XL is a crucial first step to creating a safe future for all of us.  It will send a strong signal to oil, coal, and gas companies around the world that people are pissed off at their reckless strong-arming of our energy policy and are prepared to take true action that will cure us of our fossil fuel addiction.  We are already capable of doing this through existing renewable energy technologies and smart energy efficiency policies.  And if it's jobs you're worried about - research from Cornell shows that the project would "kill more jobs than it creates by reducing investment in the clean energy economy."

On Sunday thousands of people will convene on Washington D.C. for the largest climate rally in this nation’s history.  I’m going, because this is one of those moments where we, as everyday citizens, have power.  By showing up in massive numbers, the media will take notice and that will give Obama and the State Department license to reject the pipeline.  This could actually work, people.

The Sierra Club is arranging for free buses and cars to take people from all over the country.  You should consider going. You won’t be alone.

Here are some tunes that try to put this exciting moment in history into perspective.  I imagine masses of people of all ages marching around the White House in slow motion, with no sound, but this music.  Then there would be cuts to shots of tar sands extraction and oil executives watching the protest on the news.

These are two runner's up:

Jeff Tweedy - The Ruling Class

The Cure - Faith (Tienanman Square Version)

And here are some reliable links that will explain the situation:

• The Keystone XL Project in a 4 minute video (NRDC)
• Project facts via the National Resources Defense Council
• Tar Sands and the Carbon Numbers (NYTimes)
• Is it worth it? (Patagonia)
• Why are tar sands worse than regular oil? [video] (Josh Fox, Academy Award Nominated Director of Gasland).
• "When This Oil Spills, It's a Whole New Monster" [stream] (NPR)
• Game Over for the Climate (James Hansen of NASA via NYTimes)
• Video from last year's XL protest - 10,000 strong (DemocracyNow)

Coverage of previous pipeline oil spills:

• Michigan
• Yellowstone River, Montana

image: NYTimes