Activists plan civil disobedience against tar sands pipeline

Hundreds of people are expected to risk arrest in sit-ins at the White House in an effort to convince President Obama to deny the permit for TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline.

Sit-ins and rallies coordinated by Tar Sands Action are slated to begin tomorrow and last for two weeks.

Organizers say that thousands of people including climate scientist Dr. James Hansen and celebrity environmentalist and author Bill McKibben will participate.

“President Obama can stop this climate killing disaster with the stroke of a pen,” said McKibben. “We will be outside the White House hoping we can inspire the president to live up to the promises that so inspired us in his 2008 campaign. And without Congress in the way, this is the clearest test he’ll ever have.”

The president is aware of the potential environmental problems associated with ruptures on pipelines that carry tar sands.

At a community meeting this week near the site of a massive 2010 Enbridge tar sands spill, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman told locals who have lost access to the Kalamazoo river due to ongoing contamination that the president is tracking the situation.

“He continues to be very concerned about this spill,” she said.

If approved the 1,700-mile long Keystone XL pipeline would move Alberta tar sands oil to refineries in Texas and dramatically increase U.S. use of the fuel, which is more greenhouse gas intensive than other forms of oil.