The US State Department is taking public comments on the construction of the Keystone Pipeline from now until March 7th. The proposed project would transport the dirtiest crude from Canada’s Alberta Tar Sands to US oil refineries on the Gulf Coast. It would also enable the combustion of so large a fossil fuel reserve that scientists claim it would be “game over” for earth’s climate. Add your voice to the discussion by clicking here. Tell John Kerry how you think he should advise President Obama regarding the pipeline’s approval.
Just for fun, I’ve copied my message to the State Department below.
Peace, H
Dear Friends,
Thank you for your lifetime of service to our country. I know you are doing your very best to decide what is right for the citizens of the United States for today and future generations. It is in this spirit that I encourage you to do whatever you can to end our country’s economic dependency on fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy sources. We are at the crossroads of history where it is no longer possible to avoid the messy and oft-times unpopular transition to sustainability. The first step before us is to stop harm.
The Keystone Pipeline is a source of harm: it continues to enable a doomed industry, threatens the health and welfare of the communities it bisects, and promises to add a great quantity of CO2 into the atmosphere by delivering access to the raw materials of oil and shale. It is foolish to think we can decide not to burn the fuel once it is processed, when the temptation to do so will be even greater than now. Instead, our generation must do everything we can to leave the resource in the ground. In this instance, we must not aid and abed our neighbor’s poor decision to extract the resource by partnering with them in its transportation and refinement.
