FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2017
CONTACT:
Collin Rees, collin [at] priceofoil [dot] org, +1 308 293 3159
Charlie Jiang, charlieyj12 [at] gmail [dot] com, +1 773 930 6723
D.C. Activists Rally Against Canada PM Trudeau’s Support for Keystone XL Pipeline
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. and Canadian activists rallied Monday night at the Embassy of Canada during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first visit to D.C. in the Trump Administration, protesting Trudeau’s support for President Donald Trump’s revival of the Keystone XL pipeline.
While Trudeau has positioned himself as a foil to Trump on some issues, Trudeau has said he wants to “work with” Trump to construct Keystone XL. A joint statement from Trump and Trudeau released this afternoon reads, “As the process continues for the Keystone XL pipeline, we remain committed to moving forward on energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment.” Notably, the statement makes no mention of climate change.
“We don’t need more pipelines, and we don’t need more tar sands extraction. We’ve beaten Keystone XL before, and we’ll beat it again. But with a climate denier in the White House, it’s more critical than ever before that Prime Minister Trudeau show true leadership and stand up for our climate,” said Alex Doukas, a Canadian campaigner with Oil Change International.
In November, Trudeau approved the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain and Enbridge Line 3 pipelines, which will carry crude oil from the Alberta tar sands to market. The moves ignored intense opposition to both projects from indigenous First Nations and climate activists.
“The math is clear: Canada cannot meet its climate targets by continuing to build massive pipelines and expand tar sands extraction,” said Collin Rees, a campaigner with Oil Change International who grew up in Nebraska near the proposed route of Keystone XL.
Speakers at the rally pushed Trudeau to work with other U.S. partners to combat climate change.
“Canada, if you cannot find a good partner in Donald Trump, then look to our states and cities in America who can show you what real climate action looks like,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Chief Program Officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“In supporting this pipeline, Trudeau and Trump are shamefully and blatantly asserting their allegiance to dirty oil, and demonstrating their willingness to put corporate cronyism over the public interest,” said Kathleen Brophy, a local community organizer with 350 DC. “We need less talk about climate action and more real steps toward a just transition away from oil.”
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Note to editors: Photos of the event can be found here, and a video of the event and speakers can be found here.