Report from Washington Tar Sands Demonstration

I had a great time yesterday, joining up to 10,000 people in Washington, DC protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline project and demanding that President Obama veto it, or at least call for a new environmental review process.  I especially enjoyed the many young people leading the protest; the biggest roar from the crowd came when one speaker cried, "People under 40--make some noise!"

Here's my report:

“We’re going to give President Obama a big hug, and then not let go,” declared one of the organizers.  As many as 10,000 demonstrators circled the White House to demand that Obama say no to the $7 billion, 2100 mile pipeline that is intended to bring oil from Alberta’s tar sands to refineries in the U.S. 

Naomi Klein (see previous post) described the tar sands as “the third largest oil reserve in the world.”  Klein explained, “the tar sands are only viable if the price of oil stays up,” debunking the argument that somehow this new oil would bring oil prices down.

Leading climate scientist, James Hansen, told the rally, “The tar sands are the “critical juncture” in our struggle against “fossil fuel addiction.”  Hansen was instrumental in starting the anti-tar sands movement when he stated that mining the tar sands would mean “game over” for the climate.  Many speakers echoed Hansen’s sentiments.  Transit Workers Union president Roger Toussaint added, “the pipeline closes the door on bringing global warming under control.”  Peter Wilk, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility said that it will “deepen our dependency on oil, contributing to ever worsening climate chaos.  Extreme weather events of the past year are not mere coincidence.  They are part of an alarming pattern of worsening hurricanes, heat waves, snow storms, flooding.  .  . .  It is happening now.”  He quoted the World Health Organization, which attributes 140,000 deaths per year to global warming.  Bill McKibben founder of 350.org and the key organizer of the event, declared that “if we go ahead and build this stupid pipeline, there is no way that we will ever in this country be able to ask anyone—in China or anyplace else—to do the right thing on climate.”

Bill McKibben serves as emcee at the rally

Speakers also condemned other environmental impacts of the pipeline in addition to global warming.  Former pipeline worker John Bolenbaugh described the many spills he witnessed saying, “There will be spills if you let this thing go through.”    Maude Barlow, a Canadian activist like Klein, said that this is “the dirtiest oil on earth” as she described the poisoned lakes, deadly to all wildlife, that remain after the mining.

Gulf of Mexico activist Sherry Footland drew the connections between BP's Gulf oil spill and mountain top removal, fracking, toxic contamination of water and air, indigenous tribes near the tar sands, those fighting lies and deception around climate change, and the children of the world.  She said, "We join you!"

Klein rebutted another argument for building the pipeline, namely that it will be built to the Pacific Coast if it isn’t built across the U.S.  She said that we Canadians “will stop whatever pipeline you try to build,” and that a demonstration was taking place in Vancouver at the same time as the one in Washington.  “We have the tar sands surrounded,” she declared, referring to their landlocked location.  “We need to cut off the arteries and cause a heart attack”

The demonstration focused on President Obama since he has the authority to veto the project.  He can’t blame this decision on Congress.  Courtney Hyde, a youthful supporter of Obama in 2008 urged him to “give us hope back.”  Bill McKibben said that we have to “liberate Barack Obama from wherever they have him locked away.”  He also described how Obama donors are lined up holding off on donations until he says no to the pipeline.   Heather Mizeur a member of the Democratic National Committee, told the crowd she was inspired by the 1253 arrests over the pipeline in September at the White House.  We need to hold the president accountable and tell him, “We are your base; we are the Democrats that elected you.” 

Van Jones sent a statement calling for “civil disobedience along every inch of the construction route” if the pipeline is approved. 

Many speakers, such as Peter Wilk, called for “clean, renewable energy as the path to a healthier future.”  Roger Toussaint led the crowd in a “mike check” call and repeat:   “We want jobs, not jobs as gravediggers of the planet.” James Hansen said, “Oil does not pay its costs.  The only solution is to put a price on carbon emissions and pay a 100% monthly dividend to the public.”

 

Heather Mizeur warned Obama, “If you don’t veto the pipeline, your next campaign slogan should be “Climate Change we can Believe In”.

All in all it was a great demonstration, and I'm sure this has caught the President's attention.  However, saying No to the oil industry would be a huge leap for our cautious president.  So the plan is to keep the pressure on by visiting Obama for America offices and demanding that the staff let the president know that he can only energize his base by saying no to the pipeline.  Stay tuned.