Today, the US Chamber of Commerce applauded a move by the House to try and rush the construction of the Keystone XL, a new pipeline that would carry dirty tar sands oil from Alberta down to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. The State Department is currently reviewing the project before making a final decision on behalf of the Obama Administration to grant a Canadian company permission to begin construction.
The Keystone XL has become a symbol across the country of the recklessness fossil fuel companies show in regards to public health and our environment. The pipeline route threatens major water supplies, like the Ogalla Aquifer, and would aid the expansion of the tar sands, the largest and dirtiest fossil fuel project on the planet. NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen said if the tar sands are fully developed it is essentially “game over” for the climate.
But forget the climate, the money game is the only one that the US Chamber seems to care about. Not surprisingly, they, the Koch Brothers, and the major oil companies have all become champions of the project despite widespread opposition.
We’ll be following the growing opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline over the summer, as well as increasing our campaign to counter act the influence of the US Chamber. They may speak for the largest oil companies in the world, but they certainly don’t speak for the interests of everyday Americans.
