It’s Getting Hot In Here

In news that will surprise just about no one, US Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donahue hosted a press conference today where he offered full-throated support for the Keystone XL pipeline, that 1,700 mile Big Oil scam that would take tar sands oil from Canada down to the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Over the last few weeks, Keystone XL has become a major political fight as Congress and Big Oil (now there are two popular institutions) have tried to slam the project down the American people’s throats, despite the fact that President Obama already delayed the project for at least a year over environmental and safety concerns.

In his speech this morning, Donahue said:

“There is no legitimate reason, none at all, to subject it to further delay,” Donohue said in his annual address on the state of business and the economy. “Real leaders understand that Americans can have big differences in philosophy but still find common ground. They wouldn’t tell us that solutions have to wait until after the election.”

No, Tom, real leaders stand up to Big Oil and protect the American people from scams like Keystone XL, a fuse to the “largest carbon bomb in North America,” the Canadian tar sands. But it’s no surprise, I guess, that the US Chamber of Commerce isn’t concerned about the climate or the interests of everyday Americans. As Bill McKibben wrote this morning,

“The US Chamber of Commerce, two years ago, filed a legal brief arguing that if the planet warmed humans could alter their physiology’ to cope with the heat. So I guess there’s no reason for them to worry about the climate impacts of opening up the second-biggest pool of carbon on the planet. For those of us who plan to keep our current anatomy, however, their assault on basic environmental review is one more sign they’re nothing but a front for the fossil fuel lobby.”

It’s no real surprise that the Chamber of Commerce is pushing Keystone XL, but it does help clarify what we’ve been saying all along: this pipeline is a scam and the only reason politicians are pushing it is because they’re on the payroll of Big Oil and front groups like the US Chamber.

These days, it’s easier to kill pipelines than “conventional wisdom.”

In a news analysis published today, the New York Times concludes that while the tax bill provision on Keystone XL will likely kill the project, the victory will do little to stop future pipelines, stall tar sands development, or slow down global warming. After all, the world needs energy, the tar sands have it, and therefore, they’re going to be developed, atmosphere be damned.

It’s a compelling argument that’s been made over and over again during the fight against Keystone XL. Here’s why it’s wrong.

Time and again, public opposition has stopped things that made “economic” sense. That’s every mile of the Colorado isn’t dammed, why we haven’t cut down every last inch of Brazilian rainforest, or, to pull from another time period, why the British Empire finally abolished the slave trade even though it was great economics. As it turns out, there are other forces in the world than supply and demand. Just because morality is hard to quantify, doesn’t mean it can’t change history now and then.

As political opposition to the tar sands grows, it’s going to be nearly impossible for oil companies to build the pipelines they need to get tar sands oil out of landlocked Alberta. You thought the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline was contentious? Just check out the struggle over the Enbridge Northern Gateway, a pipeline that was slated to be built from the tar sands out to the coast of British Columbia. Thanks to the opposition from indigenous communities along the entire pipeline route and people up and down the coast, the Canadian government has been forced to stall the project for yet another year of environmental review. The delay, along with the news on Keystone, has fired up the anti-tar sands movement even more. When Goliath teeters, David puts another stone in the sling-shot. Continue reading ‘Keystone XL Victory Will Help Stop the Tar Sands’

Take a look at this incredible video of indigenous activist Clayton Thomas-Muller of the Indigenous Environmental Network, one of the leaders of the growing movement to stop the Keystone XL pipeline and shut down the tar sands. 

Here is a post from 350.org India Coordinator, Chaitanya Kumar. As people across the United States continue to rise up against coal plants, fracking, and the Keystone XL pipeline, it’s important that we’re building solidarity with movements around the world. 

Local victories against Coal: Maharashtra
by Chaitanya Kumar

We recently finished the Naya Swaraj cycle yatra from Sevagram in Maharashtra to Mumbai. The 850 KM cycle rally aimed at highlighting the negative impacts of fossil fuels on our agriculture and understanding the need for organic farming. While the 20 day journey was an enriching experience in understanding the diversity of issues that Indian farmers face, one of the issues that continues to trouble most of us is the growing cluster of coal fired thermal power plants in India and especially the state of Maharashtra.

The numbers speak for themselves. In the state of Maharashtra, 38 thermal power plants are planned to be set up in the coming few years. That makes it a total of 32376 MW of coal fired power being proposed for one single state and is a little more than a sixth of India’s total installed power generation capacity as of 2011. These power projects are being set up by big companies both private and public like the Reliances, Maharashtra Genco (MAHAGENCO), TATAs, NTPC, LANCOs. Many other small  companies are foraying into power generation after observing the state and central Govt’s lack of attention to environmental and social harms of coal.

But if recent developments in India are to go by, then the road ahead for most coal fired power stations is going to be much more difficult than one predicted. Quite recently a 4000 MW Ultra mega power project in the Raigad district got scrapped after local residents opposed the project tooth and nail over land acquisition issues. Strong advocacy and campaigning amongst farmers in the region by local movements helped raise awareness over the issue and moved people to act in order to protect their land and natural resources. Another recent victory comes from the Wardha district of the state where local movements encouraged by groups like the Vidharbha Environmental Action Group successfully won a court hearing in against Lanco and their corrupt environmental practices.

Continue reading ‘Coal Victories in India’

Elizabeth McGowan, a reporter who has done fantastic coverage on the Keystone XL pipeline fight for SolveClimate, has an article today that interviews a few “analysts” who criticize “greens” for focusing on the Keystone XL pipeline as the key environmental test for President Obama before the 2012 election.

Over 100 people visit an Obama for America office to push the President to the stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Photo credit: Shadia Fayne Wood. 

As someone working with Tar Sands Action, one of the groups working on Keystone XL, I wanted to put out a few quick responses. Over the last few months, the Keystone XL pipeline has transformed from a regional fight led by organizers along the route and indigenous communities in Alberta, to what the Washington Post referred to as “a headache for the Obama Administration.” That transformation in itself is a huge accomplishment: most pipelines or fossil fuel projects — just look at the opening of Powder River Basin for coal mining — happen in the dead of night without much opposition. To drag Keystone XL into the spotlight and turn it into a national bellwether is a testament to the hard work of not just “greens” (oh, the media’s love for slightly derogatory catch-alls) but of Nebraska ranchers, Texas farmers, environmentalists, young people, indigenous peoples, and many more.

The odds are still tilting towards approval, but that’s not much of a surprise when you have the  Canadian government, Big Oil, conservative press, the State Department, and status-quo commentators pushing the pipeline. What’s incredible is that we’ve got a fighting chance to stop this thing, an opening that will only get wider over the months to come as protests continue across the country.

Let’s take a moment to break down the specific arguments of the “analysts” that McGowan cites (you’ll recognize one of them as Ted Nordhaus, the author of “The Death of Environmentalism” and the “bad-boy” who’s made a career of criticizing environmentalists –come on, I mean, Bjorn Lomborg was all over that in like 1997, man).

Continue reading ‘Why “Analysts” Are Wrong on Keystone XL Strategy’

Today, Tar Sands Action organizer Bill McKibben spoke at Occupy Wall Street in New York City and made the connection between the demonstrations there and the ongoing fight against the Keystone XL pipeline. Below is a video and transcript of the speech. Many thanks to our friends at Treehugger for providing the video. 

Here is the text of Bill’s speech: 

Today in the New York Times there was a story that made it completely clear why we have to be here. They uncovered the fact that the company building that tar sands pipeline was allowed to choose another company to conduct the environmental impact statement, and the company that they chose was a company was a company that did lots and lots of work for them. So, in other words, the whole thing was rigged top to bottom and that’s why the environmental impact statement said that this pipeline would cause no trouble, unlike the scientists who said if we build this pipeline it’s “game over” for the climate. We can’t let this pipeline get built. Continue reading ‘Bill McKibben’s Keystone XL Speech at Occupy Wall Street’

This week, a series of State Department hearings on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline are underway across America’s heartland. Not surprisingly, the pipeline company TransCanada has cranked up it’s PR machine, making a series of false claims about the benefits of the pipeline while downplaying the enormous risks.

The Rainforest Action Network compiled a list of “Key Facts on the Keystone XL” which help clear the air:

Continue reading ‘Keystone XL: Debunking TransCanada’s Lies’

It’s been raining photos for 36 hours at 350.org HQ in San Francisco. As the sun moves around the globe, we’ve been watching images pour in from almost everywhere (except North Korea)–from Hanoi, from Cape Town, from Buenos Aires, from Delhi. It’s an incredible show of global solidarity. And a clear sign that the planet is really ready to “move beyond fossil fuels.” Check out Moving-Planet.org for even more photographs from around the world.

Cairo, Egypt: Two young woman march, holding signs with over 600 other Egyptian marchers and cyclists who took to the streets for Moving Planet, the September 24, 2011 international day of climate action. They formed a “Human Nile” representing the vulnerability of Egypt’s precious river to climate change and demanding a clean energy and clean transport future for Egypt and for the world. Photo: Ahmed Selweq

Continue reading ‘PHOTOS: Moving Planet Climate Rallies Around the World’

This morning, events in Egypt and the Kingdom of Tonga helped launch “Moving Planet,” a global day of demonstrations aimed at moving the world beyond fossil-fuels.

Over the next 24 hours, Moving Planet will bring together over 2,000 bicycle rides, marches and rallies in 171 countries. The day of action is being coordinated by 350.org, an international climate change campaign, and came together through emails, social media sites, and blogs.

In Cairo, over 600 young Egyptians wearing blue clothing flowed into the streets to form “Human Nile,” representing the critical threat global warming poses to water security and their future.

Sarah Rifaat of 350.org and the Cairo Cycling Club, who handed out bicycle helmets to revolutionaries in Tahrir Square this spring, said, “In Egypt, we’ve seen the amazing changes that can take place when people work together to move in a new direction. We need the same sort of energy put towards addressing the climate crisis and moving away from fossil fuels.”

Continue reading ‘Moving Planet: Egypt and Tonga Launch 2,000+ Worldwide Events’