Say NO to More of the World's Dirtiest Oil
The Obama administration has already catered to oil execs with its proposal to expand offshore drilling, and thus the chances for another catastrophic oil spill. Now, it's poised to make another decision in favor of Big Oil. Oil corporations have been lobbying hard for Obama to allow the construction of a new pipeline to bring more of the world's dirtiest oil into the United States.
It's hard to believe, but producing tar sands oil emits three times as much carbon pollution as producing conventional oil. Plus, its production destroys acres of Canada's Boreal Forest -- one of the few large, intact ecosystems left on earth.
The United States is the only market for this dirty oil. So if President Obama denies the permit, he can stop the expansion the tar sands industry.
Obama's State Department is taking comments on the pipeline until June 16. Add your voice: Tell Obama to say no to more dirty tar sands oil.
Dear President Obama,
I am writing to submit my concerns about the impacts the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would have on the climate and communities -- and to urge you to deny a permit for this pipeline.
Tar sands oil is dirtier than conventional oil, causing three times more greenhouse gas emissions than regular gasoline. The 900,000 barrels of dirty oil that would be pumped through this pipeline every day would add 38 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually, which is equal to adding six million new cars to the road. Your draft environmental impact statement ignores how this pipeline would make global warming worse, a serious oversight that must be amended.
The expanded production of tar sands oil enabled by this pipeline would also result in more destructive strip mining and drilling in Canada and bring more air pollution to refinery communities in Texas.
I urge you to stand up to Big Oil and protect the public interest by rejecting the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.
