October 12, 2011 / pittsburghsec

President Obama’s Visit to Pittsburgh Greeted by PSEC-Led Keystone XL Pipeline Protest in the South Side

“Obama Yes! Tar Sands No! That’s the way its got to go”; “Save the water, save the soil, we don’t want your dirty oil,” were among the many chants heard yesterday (October 11th) in South Side, Pittsburgh, as President Obama’s motorcade traveled down East Carson St. The chants were part of a protest against the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama visited Pittsburgh to discuss the newly proposed jobs bill at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers training center in South Side, Pittsburgh. The peaceful anti-Keystone protest, consisting primarily of University students and environmental groups, greeted Obama’s arrival in Pittsburgh with anti-pipeline chants and handmade signs asking him to veto the pipeline’s construction. We hope that the President who had promised us a greener future will listen.

The 1700 mile Keystone XL pipeline would carry synthetic crude oil from the Athabasca Oil Sands in Alberta, Canada, to oil refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma, as well as to the U.S Gulf Coast. Alberta is home to the second largest carbon deposit in the world, and if the pipeline construction is approved, it would facilitate the release of immense amounts of green house gases into the atmosphere. At a time when global warming is becoming a dismal reality, pipeline’s construction would be an overwhelming blow to the environment. It will seriously undermine all efforts to shift towards a cleaner energy economy. Climate scientist Jim Hansen, has even referred to the pipeline’s construction as “game-over for the climate.”

Scientists and citizen groups alike argue that the development of the pipeline will also pollute the water, destroy thousands of acres of boreal forest, and potentially contaminate the lands of local residents, including those belonging to a number of First Nation Communities. Moreover, as the pipeline would cross a region that includes the Ogallala aquifer, it provides ample room for a disastrous oil spill and severe water contamination.

The successful protest rally with nearly one-hundred participants was organized primarily by PSEC (Pittsburgh Student Environmental Coalition) in just a couple of days at the request of the environmental pioneer Bill McKibben. PSEC only learned of Obama’s visit to Pittsburgh this weekend, and saw it as a golden opportunity to remind the President why so many had supported his “Change” message in the first place. Other environmental groups including Tar Sands Action and University of Pittsburgh’s Free the Planet also joined in on the rally efforts. Many at the protest conveyed their irritation with the pipeline project by holding up signs stating “This is not the change we hoped for”, and “Change we can believe in is not dirty oil”. Seth Bush, Nikki Luke and Eva Resnick-Day were among the many PSEC members at the South Side rally protesting the pipeline. The three Pitt seniors had also participated in the anti-Keystone protests in Washington, D.C., earlier this fall.

President Obama acknowledged the chanting protesters with a smile and a wave as he passed by the large crowd. Although the protesters were Obama supporters, and many had campaigned for Obama during the 2008 campaign, there was an obvious sense of frustration among the crowd. Many felt let down by the fact that President Obama had not fulfilled his campaign promise of working towards a clean energy, green job driven economy. U.S State Department is currently preparing to give a ruling on the Keystone pipeline, but even if the project is approved by the State Department, President Obama retains the power to reject it.

Individuals like Nikki Luke had worked tirelessly on the Obama campaign in 2008 and stated that they will still vote for Obama in 2012. However, many including Seth Bush and Nikki Luke also pointed out that if Obama approves the pipeline, they will not put in the same level of grassroots support towards fueling his campaign as they had done previously. Seth Bush said that Obama had promised to work towards a clean energy future during his 2008 campaign, but “if he goes through with this, how can we trust him?”

The highly energized, successful rally bore no signs of being organized in a hurry. We hope that seeing our rally reminded the President to be the extraordinary leader we all believe him to be, and veto the pipeline proposal. We have faith that President Obama will truly be the “Change We Can Believe In”, and live up to his campaign promises.

Dee Seneviratne