US President Obama has announced today that the Keystone XL pipeline will not be approved.

This marks an important victory for the broad coalition opposed to the project which would have greatly expanded the amount of crude carried from the Alberta tar sands to heavy oil refineries in Texas.

“This is a victory for Americans who testified in record numbers, and who demanded that science get the hearing usually reserved for big money,” said Bill McKibben, a founder of 350.org who collaborated with concerned citizens on both sides of the border to orchestrate the defeat of the Keystone pipeline.

“Obama’s decision to reject Keystone XL shows that yes – when there’s clear and organized opposition – we can stop projects that recklessly expand exports of crude oil from Canada that only increase global dependence on fossil fuels,” said Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner campaigner for the Wilderness Committee.

The decision by the U.S. administration will not be well received by the Canadian government, which spent heavily campaigning for the Keystone XL project. “We should expect a new round of rhetoric from Ottawa about ramping up crude oil exports to Asia through BC,” said West, in reference to the Harper government’s push for pipeline building and expansion across British Columbia. “This is fundamentally irresponsible to the global community which is collectively facing the threat of climate change. We need to be part of the solution, not leading the way making the climate crisis worse,” said West.  

The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline proposed for northern BC is currently under public review, and facing massive opposition from First Nations and the public at-large. Meanwhile, Kinder Morgan has plans to expand its existing pipeline and their crude oil exports from the terminal in Burnaby.

“Here in BC there is a historic unbroken wall of opposition to these tar sands pipelines,” said West. “First Nations in BC have spoken out against oil exports cutting through their traditional territories and waters, and the public in BC is overwhelmingly opposed to tanker traffic.” More than 60 First Nations have signed the Save the Fraser Declaration against tar sands pipelines and tankers. A poll taken in 2010 found 80% in BC opposed to tankers on the Pacific coast.

“Unfortunately, we are up against a Canadian prime minister acting like a lobbyist for Big Oil,” said West. “But the victory against KeystoneXL shows that we can stop the expansion of the tar sands, it shows that when people stand up at the grassroots level, from across the political spectrum, we can win.”

Contact:

Ben West, Wilderness Committee, Healthy Communities Campaigner, 604-710-5340