Sierra Club making exception to ban on civil disobedience for XL pipeline

[octoberlib]

The coming months are not likely to be a love fest between the president and environmental groups because of an upcoming decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.
The pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Canada to U.S. refineries. It takes so much energy to produce this heavy oil that it has a larger greenhouse gas footprint. And today, Nebraska's government gave its go-ahead to the massive pipeline. Now environmental groups fear the president will approve the Keystone XL.

"We can't expand production of the dirtiest source of oil on the planet if we want to reduce carbon pollution," says Michael Brune, chairman of the Sierra Club. He says the nation's oldest and largest environmental group is so worried that the president will give his OK, that it's planning to make an exception to its historic ban on participating in acts of civil disobedience. That means they're going try to get arrested at an upcoming protest
That the Sierra club is willing to engage in thoughtful and peaceful and respectful civil disobedience shows that there's a new level of urgency regarding climate change and a growing impatience about the lack of political courage that we're seeing from the president and from leaders in congress," Brune says.
He says civil disobedience helped women get the vote and African Americanget equal rights, and he hopes this move will turn up the pressure on President Obama to follow through with his rhetoric and make hard decisions to fight global warming.

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/22/169989679/in-second-inaugural-obama-makes-climate-a-priority

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. As a proud life member of the Sierra Club, I applaud this decision.

I am more than a little appalled at President Obama for even considering approving this toxic pipeline.

K&R

[Mojorabbit]

2. kick nt