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5 More Reasons to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
On Sunday, it will be exactly one year before Election Day 2012, which is a good time to push President Obama toward making a decision on the most crucial environmental issue of his career. He needs to be reminded of his commitment to the American people. He needs to take a stand on the State Department’s assessment of the Keystone XL pipeline. If approved, the pipeline will run through America’s heartland and threaten one our water resources, our health, our communities, and our wildlife.
Now, the President has the final say on the disastrous tar sands oil pipeline.
Bracing Against the Odds
Over the past few months we’ve learned a lot about the decision-making process delegated to the State Department on TransCanada’s permit. And it doesn’t look pretty. Here are few of the recent scandals:
- 2 months ago the public discovered that TransCanada’s lead lobbyist, Paul Elliott, was the deputy director of Hillary Clintons 2008 Presidential campaign. An email exchange showed a “cozy” relationship between Paul Elliott and State Department staff.
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Last month, public hearings were held in the right-of-way states (Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Washington, D.C.). The State Department hired a contractor that considers TransCanada a “major client” and has worked with them on previous projects.
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Last week, during a speech at the University of Colorado, Obama said he was “looking into it”.
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Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney announced that Obama is handing off this “hot potato” issue to the State Department; Carney said, the State Department “are taking into … account public comment and comments certainly from experts, both environmental, as well as energy experts.”
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Additionally, the State Department has lost thousands of testimonies from the public hearings.
After attending the public hearings in Kansas and Washington, D.C., and seeing union workers bussed in by the Koch Brothers, I thought the “Yes We Can” attitude had been buried. But Obama’s interview on KETV in Nebraska showed me a glimpse of what I had seen in him 3 years ago. Now, he is taking responsibility for the Keystone XL pipeline issue for the first time and telling Nebraskans that he will make the final decision about the pipeline.
Why We Need to Take Action
President Obama has stepped up to the plate on this issue, and here’s hoping Big Oil will finally strike out. But he hasn’t rejected the project yet. Now is the time to let Obama know that he must make the right decision. Now is the time to take action.
This Sunday, Nov. 6, join us and thousands of people will encircle the White House to send President Obama one clear message: YES YOU CAN. STOP THE PIPELINE.