Today the State Department released its Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The controversial project would carry as much as 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast of the U.S.The State Departments EIS concluded that the pipeline wouldnt increase the rate of extraction of tar sands and thus isnt likely to significantly increase carbon pollution.
Phil Radford, the Executive Director of Greenpeace said:
The idea that this pipeline would pose little environmental risk is laughable. If built it will transport the dirtiest fuel on the planet across six states and hundreds of waterways. The risk of oil spills and increase in pollution that this pipeline will cause is unacceptable.
Building this pipeline would be like adding 37 million new cars to U.S. roads. There is nothing insignificant about that. Why invest in oil infrastructure at all, when the cost of renewable energy like wind and solar continues to plummet?
Actress and activist Daryl Hannah added,
Tens of thousands of people across North America, from tribal leaders to ranchers, farmers and landowners, have spoken out, stood up, and even been arrested to stop this environmental threat and protect their critical water supplies and their climate. It is clear that the President must stop this project and invest in clean energy in the interests of a livable planet and future generations.
Radford and Hannah were both arrested during a demonstration at the White House on August 30th, 2011. The demonstration called on the President Obama to cancel the pipeline and focus on getting America of oil for good.
