Tag: tar sands

Charlottesville climate activists tell Sec. Kerry: No KXL!

Virginia climate activists aren’t letting up on Keystone XL after Sunday’s hugely successful climate rally in DC. John Kerry came to the University of Virginia today to deliver his first official speech as the Secretary of State, and UVA students with CCAN and Central Virginia 350 turned out to urge him to oppose the dirty oil pipeline.

Armed with a huge banner and chanting “No tar sands pipeline!” the group drew attention from passersby and Secretary Kerry himself, who walked by with a wave to acknowledge our message. During his speech, Kerry came out swinging on climate change. He made the economic case for climate action, tying rising seas and higher temperatures to greater costs from extreme weather and other climate impacts.

Secretary Kerry is right – we need to see climate action and we need to see it now. He and President Obama have a great opportunity, a great responsibility, to match their words with action.

Fracking, Climate Action and July 28

“On July 28th, 2012, we invite community members and organizations everywhere to join us in Washington, D.C. for a rally at the Capitol to demand no more drilling that harms public health, water, and air. . . Elected officials and public agencies must insist that the industry stop all drilling that is dirty and dangerous, and put communities and the environment first, starting by removing special exemptions and subsidies for the oil and gas industry. Join community leaders, celebrities and policymakers and add your voice to the call for a clean, fossil fuel free energy future.” -Call to Action at www.stopthefrackattack.org

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CCAN delivers over 19,000 Keystone XL petitions to Warner and Webb

A dozen Richmond volunteers delivered thousands of Virginia petitions against the Keystone XL pipeline to Senator Warner

Starting at noon on February 13th, over 800,000 people across the U.S. signed a petition urging Congress to stop the Keystone XL Tar Sands pipeline – 800,000! Equally impressive, Virginians made up over 19,000 of those signatures. All in just 24 hours. And today a dozen volunteers delivered that message loud and clear to Senators Warner and Webb.

The 24-hour action was set in motion after organizers gained intel that members of Congress in the pocket of the fossil fuel lobby were trying to force through approval of the pipeline through amendments to unrelated bills. Late last Thursday, we learned even more sudden news that a vote could be imminent – as soon as this Tuesday or Wednesday – on an amendment to a federal transportation bill.

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24 hours to stop Keystone XL

It’s like one of those horror movie zombies, the thing that just won’t die. Yes, once again the Republican Party, joined by some Democrats, all doing the work of Exxon Mobil, Chevron, the American Petroleum Institute and all the others, are trying to force through approval of the Keystone XL pipeline in Congress.

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Encircling the White House — A New Beginning is Here

Lo and behold, at 5:15 pm, as the light was rapidly fading and a beautiful ¾ moon appeared in the sky over Lafayette Park, as Bill McKibben was wrapping up, speaking about the wonder and power of the day’s event and this movement, a motorcade appeared at the top of Lafayette Park. Someone pretty reliable said, “It’s President Obama!,” and Bill proceeded to lead the thousands of people still there in a chant of, “Yes We Can Stop the Pipeline” as hundreds streamed toward the cars with their flashing red lights. If, indeed, it was Obama in that motorcade, there is no way he didn’t hear us.

This was just one of many amazing things that happened yesterday.

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The Power of the People, Organized

On Monday, October 31, speaking about a possible permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, President Obama’s press secretary Jay Carney told the press that “this is a decision that will be made by the State Department.” On Tuesday, November 1, speaking during an interview at the White House with a reporter from Omaha, Nebraska-based TV station KETV, President Obama himself said that he will be making the decision. What has gotten into the President? Are we seeing the reappearance of the person who campaigned in 2008 as a strong proponent of action to “end the tyranny of oil” and address climate change?

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November 6: More Than Just the Climate Movement?

November 6 at the White House is a big day and an important place. That afternoon, one year before the 2012 elections, thousands of people from around the country will be doing something that has never been done before. We will be surrounding the White House, a mile or more in circumference, in a Circle of Hope. Many thousands of climate, environmental and environmental justice activists will be there on November 6. What about activists from the broader progressive movement? I know that there will be some from the Occupy movement, which is very important. As a primarily young people’s movement, it is young people, as well as low-income, Indigenous and other people of color, who will be most impacted as our earth gets hotter and hotter. Beyond that I wonder. And I wonder based on seven years of attempting to spread the word about the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for more people to speak up and take action on it NOW. Continue reading

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Obama's Richmond Visit: CCANers say No KXL Pipeline!

Today, President Obama’s bus tour stopped at a fire station south of Richmond, and CCAN was there to remind him that he can stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Our volunteers braved swarming crowds, traffic, police tape, and inclement weather to make sure he got our message.

As the bus drove by us, we saw the President looking out the many signs in the crowd, and I’m excited to report that he and his staff saw our banner! The banner we used has been traveling the country helping local organizers to hold the President accountable on today’s most important climate issue, and is now on its way to Cleveland for a midwest tar sands action! Richmond CCANers are proud of our solidarity with tar sands activists around the country.

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Tar Sands Action: My arrest story

It’s taken me a little bit to process the Tar Sands Action. Ok I’ve been busy. But I wanted to share my arrest story with fellow Power Shifters, especially leading up to the big October 7th action. We are still fighting.

I never thought I’d get arrested. I’m committed 100% to this cause and plan to work on these issues for the rest of my life. But I wasn’t convinced this was my role until the action began and I realized that this one felt different.

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Jailhouse Rock: Activists Score Victory Over Police in Tar Sands Pipeline Fight – The Inside Scoop

Crossposted from Climate Progress.

If you want to know just how determined activists are to stop the proposed tar sands oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, listen to this:

Last Saturday morning, August 20th, more than 50 activists were arrested in front of the White House. They were handcuffed, stuffed into blistering-hot paddy wagons, and informed that they would spend two nights in a crowded, harsh DC jail. The U.S. Park Police Continue reading

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