The fight against the Keystone XL Pipeline is heating up, with many positive and important developments occuring this past week, excluding the disgraceful, thoughย unsurprising decisionย by the Obama for President 2012 campaign team to bring a former TransCanada lobbyist, Broderick Johnson (husbandย ofย NPR‘s Michele Norris),ย onto its upper-levelย staff.
Six main big ticket items stand out, inย particular:
- Aย call for a U.S. State Department Office of the Inspector Generalย probeย into the Keystone XL pipeline review process by 14 U.S. Congressionalย members.
- Aย call for a special sessionย to occur on November 1 by Nebraska Republican Governorย Dave Heinemanย regarding pipeline safetyย concerns.
- Aย meetingย between leaders of the youth climate movement and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson on theย pipeline.
- A recent massive anti-pipeline action that took place in San Francisco, in whichย 1,000 protesters greeted Obamaย at one of his fundraising events for his 2012 presidentialย run.
- Anย announced push-backย of the Keystone XL pipeline final decision date by the Stateย Department.ย
- An acknowledgement, at last, by President Barack Obama that he isย taking into considerationย the concerns voiced by citizens nationwide about the potential risks to public health, water supplies and the global climate if he approves the Keystone XLย pipeline.
Congressionalย Probeย
The request for the probe,ย announced in a letterย signed by the 14 Democrats and sent to theย Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. State Department, calls for โan investigation into the State Department’s handling of the Environmental Impact Statement and National Interest Determination for TransCanada Corporation’s proposed Keystone XLย pipeline.โ
Key excerpts of the letterย read,
Given the significant economic, environmental, and public health implications of the proposed pipeline, we believe that it is critical that the State Department conduct thorough, unbiased reviews of the project. Further, it is imperative that the State Department process be free of actual or apparent conflicts ofย interestโฆ
(snip)
โฆ[G]iven the importance of this project and the process regarding the State Department’s review process to-date, a thorough investigation coveringโฆany possible violations of federal law or improper conduct related to the State Departmentโฆa [probe is warranted]โฆfor the Keystone XLย
While only 14 out of 435, it shows that the issue is, at minimum, high on the radar of some politiciansย inside the Beltwayย and the voices of grassroots leaders are finally being heard, at least byย some.
Nebraska Specialย Session
Nebraska has, in many ways, beenย ground zeroย in the fight against the pipeline, led in the forefront byย Jane Kleeb‘s grassroots activist group,ย Bold Nebraska.
Public opposition to the pipeline got the attention of the governor of a Republican Partyย generally uninclinedย to accept scientificย reality.
Having alreadyย urged President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to deny the permit on aย seperate occasionย at the end of August, Heineman, hearing only the sound of silence from what DeSmogBlog has called โState Department Oil Services,โ Heineman called for aย special sesssionย regarding theย pipeline.
โThe purpose of the Special Session will be to find a legal and constitutional solution to the siting of oil pipelines within the state,โ according to a press release issued byย Heineman.
Of chief concern, the current pipeline route runs directly over theย Nebraska Sand Hillsย and theย Ogallala Aquifer, both of which are vital pieces of the Nebraskaย economy.ย
Youth Climate Movementย Meeting
Representatives of the youth climate movementย metย with EPA head Lisa Jackson – including former Obama volunteers, as well as theย Energy Action Coalition, a coalition of 50 youth-led environmental and social justice groups working together to build the youth clean energy and climate movement. ย Keystone XL was among the topics of the meeting.
ย
Activists’ Push Against Pipeline Drawingย Attention
The day after a protest in San Francisco, which drew a crowd of 1,000 anti-pipeline protesters to greet him, President Obama was again greeted by more protesters in Denver who interrupted his campaign stumpย speech.
Forced to acknowledge them, at last, Obamaย stated, โI know your deep concern about itโฆWe will addressย it.โย
The decision process has beenย bottlenecked and pushed backย by the State Department, which likely thought at first that, likely nearly all other ecologically destructive decisions it makes, it would beย rubber-stamped.
Not the case this time around,ย though.
Upcoming nextย steps
This all comes ahead of a bigย November 6 actionย organized by the leaders of theย Tar Sands Action movement, in a call to circle around the White House to demand that President Barack Obama reject the Keystone XLย Pipeline.
As the late historian Howard Zinn onceย proclaimed, โWhat matters is not who’s sitting in the White House, but who’s SITTING IN the White House โ and who is marching outside the White House, pushing forย change.โ
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