This Sunday marks another key moment for the movement against the Keystone XL pipeline. People will be coming together in Washington to surround the White House.
As described on www.tarsandsaction.org: “thousands of people will be gathering in Washington DC to do something remarkable: We will join hands to surround the White House to ask President Obama to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. We’re doing this so that he knows he has the support needed to reject the pipeline – and that there will be real consequences if he doesn’t.”
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson and Brent Patterson, Political Director with the Council of Canadians will be in Washington for the action. Maude has been asked to speak at the closing rally in Lafayette Park (across from the White House), other speakers include, Mark Ruffalo, actor, Dr James Hansen, leading climate scientist, Naomi Klein, author and activist.
This action is continuing a long and hard fought campaign to convince President Obama to make the right choice and not approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and it appears to be having an impact.
Back when Maude and I were in Washington in July for the massive White House sit-in action, word was that the best win was a delay in a decision over the pipeline. Over the course of the sit-in action and in the aftermath including some serious bird-dogging of Obama and significant participation in public hearings on the pipeline, this has begun to shift. Not only is this decision not looking like it will be made on Nov. 4th, President Obama recent comments to Omaha news station are hopeful. But the battle is not over yet. This is why this weekend’s action is crucially important. The pressure must continue to grow in order for this pipeline not to be built.
The Council of Canadians has consistently opposed the Keystone XL pipeline. We also are engaged in, and support opposition to the Enbridge Gateway project (which would see tar sands crude shipped via BC coastal waters). We were in Washington this summer for the sit-in’s and, alongside Canadian allies, delivered a letter to the Canadian Embassy in Washington demanding an end to lobbying for Keystone XL. We were involved in the organizing of the September 26 action on Parliament Hill opposing the Keystone XL pipeline and demanding federal action on the tar sands. Board and staff members, and chapter activists chose to break the law by crossing a police fence on the 26th to send this message to the Harper government. We continue to monitor and respond to this campaign, including a new action alert directed at Nebraska Legislature.
