Protest against Keystone XL to begin at White House tomorrow

Obama must make final decision between jobs and "friendly" oil from Canada's tar sands, or environment.

Environmentalists have organized a protest at the White House against the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline is planned to carry oil from the Alberta tar sands to refineries in Texas. The United States State Department is expected to give its final environmental analysis on the controversial pipeline by the end of August. The president then has ninety days to either approve or deny the project.

Approximately 1,5000 people have signed up for the two-week protest action to begin tomorrow, August 20, outside the White House. The Keystone XL project has been a major focus of environmental protests because of the high greenhouse gas emissions associated with extraction and processing the oil from the sands, and the damaging impact the pipeline could have on the land it crosses between Alberta and Texas. Oil spills are a major concern.

The protest comes at a time when the US congress, and presidential candidate John Perry in particular, are in an anti-regulatory mood. The oil from Canada is seen by proponents on the US side as vital to America's interests. Canadian oil is viewed by many, especially conservatives, as preferable to oil imported from the Middle East. Also, construction of the $7 billion pipeline will create thousands of jobs in the US at a time when they are badly needed.

President Obama must personally sign off on the pipeline, a fact that environmentalists say will show his true colours on the question of climate change.