Keystone Pipeline: Protests In 2011 Raise Awareness For Environmental Cause (PHOTOS)

After Obama announced Wednesday that he was rejecting TransCanada's permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline, many environmental groups rejoiced over what they saw as a hard-fought victory.

Bill McKibben, considered a leader of the Keystone pipeline protests and founder of 350.org, said in response to Obama's decision, "This is a victory for Americans who testified in record numbers, and who demanded that science get the hearing usually reserved for big money."

McKibben was among thousands of protestors assembled around of the White House at two rallies in August and November to encourage President Obama to reject the Keystone pipeline. November's rally saw an estimated 10,000 people surrounding the White House.

A number of celebrities also spoke out against the Keystone pipeline. Actor Mark Ruffalo told HuffPost at the Keystone pipeline protest in front of the White House in November, "We invite the president to make good on his promises of a real renewable energy policy for the United States."

Concurring with the State Department, Obama said the "rushed and arbitrary [approval] deadline" imposed by Congress "prevented a full assessment of the pipeline's impact." The president stressed that his rejection does not prevent re-application by TransCanada or exploration of similar projects.

Canadian officials were irked by Obama's decision, but maintained their confidence that oil from Alberta's tar sands will be exported to Asia, if not south to the U.S. through the Keystone pipeline, reports The Globe and Mail.

Below, check out images from the Keystone pipeline protests in 2011.

Comments

[realityCheckInTheMail]

05:47 PM on 02/09/2012

It's nice to see the greenos resting on their laurels and self-congratulations after this.

Obama just gave an "domestic all of the above" energy plan in his state of the union. Obama's energy plan is now almost identical to McCain in 2008. He's pro drilling in the gulf, pro-fracking, pro-nukes, pretty much the whole nine yards.

But if the greenos want to think of themselves as "winners" who "have a big impact on things" while they pull the level for a "drill baby drill" presidential candidate (i.e. Obama) in 2012 ... hey that's great.

[Rich Ramsell]

08:28 PM on 01/29/2012

Shame on the President for caving in to the Chicken Littles of this country--especially since dozens of safe pipelines are already in the same area

[grappler1987]

02:55 AM on 01/20/2012

"The United States has a low-cost electricity advantage
over many of its competitors due to our nation’s diverse
sources of energy, including recent breakthroughs in shale
gas."

Obama's team is right. Don't kill our advantage by killing fossil fuels.

[ladybugg22]

07:42 PM on 01/19/2012

Friends, you must listen to this discussion of the XL rejection. Wish we could force everyone to listen to it. Just click the audio. Diane Rehm is the best.

http://TheDianeRehmShow.org/

[AmStardust]

05:14 PM on 01/28/2012

cool thx

[Robert Fanney]

02:42 PM on 01/19/2012

Bill McKibbon, James Hansen, 350.org and OWS rocked this one. Proud day when we encircled the White House. Let's hope this will mean more investment for wind, solar, and EVs!

[grappler1987]

02:53 AM on 01/20/2012

If we keep killing energy security, no one will have money to invest.

[racebaiter]

02:27 PM on 01/19/2012

WE WON!!!!.......I never really thought we could stop the pipeline.......... even temporarily...but we did. If only the rest of America thought the way we do we would be a safer healthier country. Forget about terrorists...more citizens die each year because of pollution than all other diseases combined... Thank you Mr President for your thoughtfulness.

[highlander1]

02:15 PM on 01/19/2012

You know we are living in full on Rubber Room Ville when even the Canadians are shaking their heads about us. Here we had an opportunity for foreign invesment in American jobs, is it 1,000 jobs? 100,000 jobs? Impossible to predict considering the mutiplier effects, truck drivers, parts suppliers, convenience store attendants who would operate near the construction sites, hotel businesses, etc. Not to mention much needed property taxes supplied to the states. And to further participate in supplying the world with something that is actually used by everybody in the world, including every single soul who posts on these boards. We need to being doing hundreds of things like this in the private sector and instead we can't even do one. Instead we will talk about redistributing wealth to fix perfectly good bridges or maybe just have people rake all the sticks off the beach. In the meantime get used to the new normal of unemployment rates at a minimum of 7-8% because you don't have to be Carnac the Magnificent to see that isn't ever going to get well under the current regime. If you owned a business would you be excited to hire someone right now?

[Robert Fanney]

02:43 PM on 01/19/2012

Better to invest in wind and solar energy jobs, many more people employed, much less environmental harm. Win-win.

[grappler1987]

03:00 AM on 01/20/2012

Funny. Do liberals think my car runs on wind? Do liberals want to force TransCanada to invest in wind? Liberals just don't think deeply.

[ttigerlilyx2]

10:54 PM on 01/19/2012

Perfectly good bridges? Buddy, don't come to Oklahoma! We have people driving MILES out of their way to get home because local bridges are so dangerous. We have a major highway thats finally getting replaced, too many people getting beaned by chunks falling off the bridges onto their cars!
Whats rubber room thinking is reliance on a vanishing product that is filthy and dangerous.
We cant do it over night, but not at least trying to switch to alternate energys is just plain stupid.

[ILoveFiction]

06:58 AM on 01/20/2012

Just plain stupid.

I think that's what he was aiming for.

[spud3]

01:26 PM on 01/19/2012

The methane produced by the authors and the authors environmental friends is worse than anything the pipeline could do. I hope they freeze their nuts off when its cold and there is no oil or to costly oil to warm the cabin.

[OLJW00]

01:20 PM on 01/19/2012

America ALREADY has a number of pipelines and the way to keep them safe is to replace older one's with new one's.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/energysource/2011/12/19/americas-energy-pipeline-dreams/

[grappler1987]

02:59 AM on 01/20/2012

"The arteries of the Nation's energy infrastructure, as well as the safest and least costly ways to transport energy products, our oil and gas pipelines provide the resources needed for national defense, heat and cool our homes, generate power for business and fuel an unparalleled transportation system."
http://phmsa.dot.gov/

[OLJW00]

10:43 AM on 01/20/2012

Some of us (typically Liberals) like to pretend we aren't dependent on oil - which we most certainly are.

Now maybe at some point in the future we won't be but that doesn't change the current reality and wishing it weren't so is not a solution.

And the most efficient means to transport oil is via pipeline.

Period...The End