Thank you Mr President! You definitely made the RIGHT CHOICE about the Keystone XL Pipeline!
And thank you to all who helped to bring awareness to the media and President Obama about the dangers to the future of our planet and all that resides on it: The 350.org groups across the country & around the world; Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org; Dr. James Hansen, Top U.S. Climate Scientist; Daryl Hannah, actress & advocate; and the thousands of protestors via every media and petition or letters to the president….
“Assuming that what we’re hearing is true, this isn’t just the right call, it’s the brave call,” said Bill McKibben, one of the leaders of protests against the pipeline. – standing strong in the face of Big Oil intimidation and denying the current permit for the pipeline.
Make no mistake, for all of us who have been protesting the project, this is a major victory. But, in regards to allowing TransCanada to reapply with a new route through Nebraska, clearly, this fight isn’t over. Big Oil will do everything it can to overturn that decision, because they are not used to losing. They have one weapon—money. They’ve used it to buy the allegiance of many Representatives and Senators and now they’ll use Congress to try and get their dirty work done.
Let’s be clear: a re-route through Nebraska will help protect the Sand Hills and the portion of the Ogallala Aquifer that’s in the state — that’s a huge victory for our friends and allies in Nebraska who have been leading this fight from the start. But the re-route will do nothing to address the climate impacts of burning tar sands, the economic downside of continuing our addiction to oil, the risks the pipeline poses to other states along the route, or the political influence Big Oil continues to use to override the interests of the American people. If this pipeline comes back, so will we. 
Stay tuned for more info throughout the day on the impending decision, as well as our official response from Bill McKibben and others. Or check in at 350.org.
Meanwhile One Senator will not be able to be bought out – Vermont’s own Senator Bernie Sanders. Here is his statement of this important event:
Sanders Statement on Keystone XL Pipeline
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a member of the Senate energy and environment committees, issued the following statement today after the Obama administration rejected a permit for TransCanada to build an oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico:
“The president made the correct decision today in rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, and I will fight to ensure Congress does not overturn the decision.
“The United States must help lead the world in combating global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It would be incomprehensible to give approval to a tar sands oil project when producing tar sands oil creates 82 percent more carbon emissions than conventional oil, and when it poses the risk of extremely damaging oil spills. I agree with NASA scientist James Hansen who has stated that fully exploiting the tar sands would mean ‘game over’ for our efforts to reverse global warming.
“If we are serious about protecting the planet and improving our economy, America’s energy future must focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. We know that by improving the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks to 54.5 miles per gallon, an easily achievable accomplishment, we can save up to three times more oil per day than Keystone XL would carry.
“In my view, this tar sands pipeline is a bad deal for the country and for our planet, and the president has acted in the best interest of the American people in saying no to Keystone XL.”
Contact: Michael Briggs (202) 224-5141
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