On October 22nd, four RAN Chicago activists exposed the Canadian tar sands climate disaster by interrupting a luncheon featuring Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer. Ambassador Doer came to Chicago to present on U.S. energy security and cooperative efforts to develop sustainable climate and energy policies. The fact that these two topics surfaced in the same sentence is telling of the Canadian government’s efforts to greenwash the tar sands. This lecture was nothing else than a talk on Canada’s attempt to use energy security scare tactics to push the dirtiest oil on earth into the veins of the American heartland.
As a lifelong resident of Illinois, I refuse to let the Canadian government pave the way for private corporations to bring destruction to my home. Not only is the extraction process of tar sands appalling, the reality of pipeline spills makes it a no-brainer to keep additional pipelines out of our communities. Instead of expanding production of this “difficult to extract” oil, we should be focusing on the obvious transition to a sustainable, clean energy economy.
Thanks to the strength of communities like LeRoy, Illinois, we are building strong resistance here that will hopefully reverberate along the pipeline. Grassroots community efforts seem to be the only way to stand up to a government funded by the same industries causing the destruction. If Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is going to act on our behalf to allow the tar sands into the United States, it is up to the American people to take it upon themselves to stop this disaster waiting to happen.
The video below captures the action inside the luncheon. Pay attention to the audio as the video is mostly thwarted by guests interrupting our cameraperson.
Attaboy Peter. Tell ‘em what’s up.
Good stuff Peter and all you other chicago folks!