Protestors assembled in Charlottesville Tuesday to Protest the Keystone XL Pipeline. While many proponents of the Pipeline point to job creation, energy independence, and large approval ratings across the country, local Charlottesville activists believe the environmental costs of tar sands fuel, one of the dirtiest fuel sources, is too great to make the project viable.
Protestors of the Keystone XL Pipeline assembled in downtown Charlottesville in front of the Federal Building Tuesday. The group of about 15 environmental activists and seniors held signs and banners for the passing traffic. Some drivers honked their horns in support, others rolled down their windows to cheer in agreement.
Kay Ferguson, an activist with 350 Central Virginia, explained the importance of the Keystone XL Pipeline to the cause of environmental activism: “Keystone is not an arbitrary line that environmentalists all over the country and all over the world have lined up to stand on this line, ‘no Keystone XL,’ It’s a poster child for marching off in the wrong direction.”
Some signs used the iconic “O” from President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign to give a nod to his commitment to Stop Keystone XL. Many at the protest supported the President’s promise to veto the legislation if it arrives on his desk. Protestors wanted to send a strong message to Virginia Senator Mark Warner to step up in the event that his vote is needed to sustain the president’s veto.
David West urged Senator Mark Warner to reconsider his position on the Keystone XL saying the pipeline ‘is not a good decision for the planet.’
“There will be a certain amount of economic gain for a small amount of people but the rest of us will pay for it in environmental degradation. We have to move beyond trying to find more and more ways to get oil and figure out a way that we can get on a sustainable energy path. Fossil fuels is the fuel of the past and we’ve really got beyond that.”
Kay Ferguson argued that the economics of the Pipeline do not check out: “The economic equation is breaking down with delay, which this grassroots movement has caused with the dropping price of oil, it doesn’t really make economic sense anymore.”
Joni Lane, one of the younger faces in the crowd who received a Masters in Sustainable Design, came because of her commitment to preserve the environment for future generations: “I’m here as the younger generation for future generations. I think our government, if this goes through, they’re going to be on the wrong side of history.”
The Senate continues to debate the legislation and consider amendments to the bill. With President Obama holding his ground with his veto threat, Virginia remains a key state. In an approval push that could come down to single votes, Virginia Senator Mark Warner’s position could be the difference between overriding a presidential veto and sustaining it.