Category: Keystone XL (Page 1 of 3)
It wasn’t long ago that coal executives were openly discussing their dream of Republicans seizing the White House and making Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe — who believes climate change is a “hoax” concocted by greedy scientists — the head of the EPA.
Coal companies provide a product that causes mercury poisoning, climate change and other environmental hazards. The increasingly profitable way of extracting it, mountaintop removal, the process by which a mountain is blown up and the coal beneath it is gathered with heavy cranes and machinery, is being blamed for poisoning waterways throughout Appalachia.
Now, they have a second chance. As dark money groups and SuperPACs backed by millions of dollars from the fossil fuel industry are propelling Republicans to a Senate majority, climate science-denying politicians are likely to seize control of key committee chairmanships, a coup for companies seeking to pollute the atmosphere with impunity. What’s more, Inhofe is slated to become chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, with oversight of the EPA.
Take a look at how the U.S. Senate would likely change under GOP control..
America is being sucker punched. If Keystone XL is approved, the Koch Brothers stand to make $100 billion while the USA is left out in the cold. That’s because oil transported by this pipeline would go through our country, only to be exported worldwide. This is a great deal for China, the oil industry, the Koch brothers and investors, but a terrible deal for the American people.
#MadeThroughTheUSA
If we do not act now to reduce carbon emissions, we will face irreversible and catastrophic climatic changes. It is our moral obligation to protect future generations from this calamity. We must fight back against big oil and special interest groups that continue to spread misinformation.
Here are the facts.
Keystone XL is designed to help exploit tar sands in Alberta, Canada. Developing tar sands is called the “most destructive project on earth” because of the excessive carbon pollution it produces. Tar sands is one of the dirtiest, costliest, and most destructive fuels in the world. Extracting and refining emits 82% more greenhouse gases compared to conventional oil. This pipeline represents a long-term commitment, locking us into developing more dirty oil when we should tackle climate change.
Keystone provides a direct link between Canada and China with no benefit for the United States. The Koch brothers and big oil are happy to help transport dirty tar sands oil and line their own pockets with money. Will we help foreign countries burn more fossil fuels? Will we endanger the globe with accelerated climate change? Are we going to allow them to use America like this? This pipeline takes us in the wrong direction at a time when we must embrace a clean energy economy. Now is the time to make our voices heard.
Last week the Canadian government sent a letter to President Obama offering vague promises of reducing carbon emissions from the tar sands in return for the right to build the pipeline. Scientists and energy analysts quickly pointed out that this was nonsense — it’s as if you were to begin your diet with two dozen jelly doughnuts, or plan to quit smoking by buying another carton or two of cigarettes.
I think this means the Canadians are getting a little desperate. They know the tide has turned against this pipeline in the U.S.
We only arrived at this point because of the heroic work you’ve put in — a point that is made quite well by this video that I hope you’ll share around. It shows the beautiful work everyone has done for the past two years, and it’s an excellent energizer for this critical stage of the fight:
An article in The New Yorker magazine this week called the fight over Keystone XL “the most prominent environmental cause in America.” The article also pointed out that now there are TV ads airing around the country telling the truth: that this is an export pipeline that will threaten every town it passes with ugly spills.
Just two years ago everyone told us this was a done deal. Now we’ve clearly got a chance.
The Canadian government is going all-out right now, and we need to do so as well. September 21st is the day — that’s when we will Draw the Line to oppose the pipeline and the tar sands it would carry. The President has made his promises, and now he needs to keep them. That means stopping the pipeline, and stopping it now.
Click here to find an event near you to Draw the Line on Keystone XL
Extra innings, overtime, at the buzzer: pick your sports cliché, but now’s the moment. Stopping Keystone XL won’t stop global warming — but it would keep a huge pool of carbon in the ground, and perhaps begin to turn the tide against the relentless greed of the fossil fuel industry. That would be a big deal indeed.
With fingers crossed, and fist clenched,
Bill McKibben
The relentless Canadian lobbying for the Keystone XL pipeline continues today when the Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver heads to Washington to push for the pipeline.
During the trip, he will meet U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz for their first face-to-face get together. Oliver is expected to tell Moniz that somehow approving Keystone XL will enhance environmental stewardship..
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