Thousands to Gather Around White House to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4) --  Thousands of citizen-activists, local residents and environmentalists will gather at the White House Sunday to protest construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which is designed to transport dirty tar sands for 1,700 miles, from Canada through America’s heartlands.

“President Obama needs to just say no to the Keystone XL pipeline,” said John Adams, a leader of the NRDC delegation at the “Circle the White House” rally, set to begin at 2 p.m., Nov. 6, in Lafayette Square.

“It’s not in our national interest to transport the dirtiest oil on Earth across our precious Great Plains—the world’s bread basket. Keystone XL would put our farmers and ranchers at risk, endanger the water supply for millions of Americans and perpetuate our addiction to oil.”

Adams is a founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council. He received the coveted Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor, during a Feb. 15 ceremony at the White House.

“Allowing the pipeline to go forward also would set back critical job-creating investments in the renewable fuels and efficiency gains, which can help secure America’s energy future well into the 21st Century and beyond. Such investments already have put 2.7 million Americans to work in careers that didn't exist just a decade ago,” Adams said.

“The production of tar sands produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of any other major oil source, and Keystone XL would dramatically increase carbon dioxide pollution,” Adams said. “Keystone XL makes no sense. We urge the president to reject the pipeline,” he said.

After the rally, Adams and other rally participants will join hands and form a symbolic circle around the White House complex.

Learn about the Nov. 6 event and the Keystone XL pipeline here http://www.nrdc.org/energy/nov6.asp