Pittsburgh Student Environmental Coalition

Keystone XL decision delayed, but the fight is far from over

pittsburghsec — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:10:45 +0000

After an estimated 12000 individuals gathered Sunday to surround the White House in protest of the Keystone XL pipeline, Obama administration has now pushed making the pipeline decision until after the 2012 election. This news has come as a bittersweet surprise. As a PSEC member who participated at the D.C. protest, I am happy that our action had some impact on this important administrative decision. It is however disappointing that the decision to invest in one of the dirtiest sources of fossil fuels currently available was simply delayed, and not rejected, by an administration who promised to invest in cleaner energy in 2008. Nevertheless, it does give some hope to those of us opposed to the pipeline. The State Department has stated that the delay was made in order to examine alternate routes for the pipeline construction that would avoid the ecologically sensitive regions of Nebraska, including the Ogallala aquifer. Given that many opposed to the pipeline had vowed to withhold electoral support for Obama in 2012 if the pipeline is approved, the decision to delay seems to be a rather strategically sound move by the administration. While it was likely fueled by a political desire to secure electoral support for Obama by the environmental movement in the 2012 election, it is nevertheless a small victory in the fight, as it leaves open possibility that the project will ultimately be rejected. A beacon of hope in this fight ironically comes from the source of the issue: TransCanada. Russ Girling, CEO of TransCanada asked “How long will those customers wait for Canadian crude oil to get to the marketplace before they sort of throw up their hands and say this is just never going to happen?.” For once, we hope that he is right. If this delay in decision has proven one thing, it is that large, grassroots public pressure can certainly impact policy decisions, even amidst heavy pressure by the political right to create short-term, dirty-energy jobs that serve to exacerbate the climate catastrophe. As many at the Sunday protest stated, “we need clean energy jobs, not jobs as gravediggers of the planet”.

In 2008, President Obama stated, “The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we’re contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe.”

Lets continue the fight to keep this dirty energy investment at bay. With our continued grassroots efforts, we may finally convince President Obama to stop ignoring the climate catastrophe and live up to his campaign promises!

Dee Seneviratne

Questions about the Keystone pipeline approval process are raised by Congress

pittsburghsec — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:47:56 +0000

An article in Scientific American covers the story of how some US Lawmakers are concerned about the way in which the Keystone Pipeline decision is currently being made. Basically, over twenty members of congress have called out many of the issues associated with the process of approving the pipeline, including the fact that the contractors hired to do the environmental assessment have previously undisclosed ties to the TransCanada company itself. It’s an interesting, as well as an informative read.

The full article can be found at :

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lawmakers-say-pipeline-approval-pro

Dee

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

pittsburghsec — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:24:50 +0000

“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

Click to view slideshow.

Pittsburgh Says NO to Keystone XL Pipeline

intergenerationaljustice — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:02:13 +0000

Eva Resnick-Day reflects on the October 11 Rally:

This past Friday, the only thing I was worried about was coming up with a good presentation for the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Conference. While relaxing on my porch after a strenuous week of midterms, our student government president happened to walk by and inform us that the white house had just contacted her about Obama coming to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. We had been planning to confront the Organizing for America office the following Friday to tell Obama to stop the pipeline, but if Obama was in town, we had to send the message to him directly. I, however, had a midterm during the exact hour that Obama would be coming and resolved to recruit a few friends to greet him.

On Sunday at the AASHE conference, we grabbed Bill McKibben right before his speech and let him know we planned to greet Obama on Tuesday. At the end of his speech to a national conference of hundreds of climate leaders, he said the best thing they could do was attend the rally to meet Obama with a strong message to say NO to the Keystone XL pipeline at 11AM, Tuesday at 313 Oakland Ave. My heart skipped a beat- Bill McKibben, one of my idols, had just announced my house address to a national conference. What’s more- he then told us to stand up so everybody knew who to find. I hesitantly stood up with two of my friends, Nikki Luke and Seth Bush, who looked around nervously. What happened after was chaos. Within five minutes we were interviewed by the City Paper, the Tribune Review, and asked by dozens more what our plans were. The problem was—we didn’t have a plan. And I had a midterm when Obama was coming. Here’s the thing: If Bill McKibben calls you out at a national conference to organize a rally, you are going to organize a rally, whether you have a midterm or not.

Immediately I entered frantic planning mode. We held a Tar Sands breakout group at the conference, and about 50 people showed up from all over North America. One individual was from Alberta, Canada, where the tar sands are located. It was incredibly inspiring to see our make shift event turn into a dedicated rally so quickly. Then organizing commenced- creating a plan, logistics, press releases, media teams, outreach, and dealing with secret service shutdowns of the pedestrian route we had planned to take. All of this consumed my life, while I remained unsure whether I’d even be able to attend the rally myself. After a group of my classmates all sent emails pleading for a different exam time, we were eventually granted an extension where we’d be able to take the test at 2pm instead. Obama was scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh around 11:15am.

The rally could not have gone better. About a hundred people showed up including my favorite professor and mentor. We marched from my house about 3 miles through the busiest street in Pittsburgh, with media chasing us as we hustled to reach Obama in time. The Police were accommodating and directed us to a point where Obama would drive by. The crowd’s energy and knowledge about the pipeline was palpable. As Obama waved and acknowledged our message, I was on the megaphone losing my voice leading the chant, which I had come up with that morning. “Obama: YES! Pipeline: NO! That’s the way it’s got to go.” I cannot explain the rush this gave me. After all the emotion, I had to rush back to campus to make it in time for my exam which, in case you were wondering, went surprisingly well. What a day. Steven Colbert’s guests refer to going on his program as the “Colbert bump.” I believe we have just experienced the McKibben bump, and boy am I grateful.

President Obama visits Pittsburgh: Rally Against the Keystone XL Pipeline on Tuesday October 11th

pittsburghsec — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:59:44 +0000

President Obama will be visiting Pittsburgh on Tuesday October 11^th to meet with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. In order to let him know of the public opinion regarding the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, and to remind him of his promise to work towards a clean energy economy, we will hold a peaceful rally, and carry a banner asking him to veto the construction of the pipeline.

Keystone pipeline will carry synthetic crude oil generated from processing tar sands from Alberta, Canada, through the United States 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 by the Obama Administration, it would facilitate the release of immense amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Given the potentially devastating consequences we face as a result of global warming, approval of the pipeline’s construction will be an overwhelming blow to the environment. Climate scientist Jim Hansen has referred to the pipeline’s construction as “game-over for the climate, and many environmental groups and scientists argue that approval of the pipeline will seriously undermine all efforts to shift towards a clean energy economy.

Additionally, citizens and scientists alike are concerned that the development of the pipeline will 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. As the Keystone XL pipeline would cross 1700 miles of the United States (including the Ogallala aquifer), it also provides ample room for a disastrous oil spill.

Because the pipeline crosses an international border, it is up to President Obama to make the decision regarding its construction within the United States. Although pro-pipeline groups are pressuring the president to approve its construction, we are asking him to veto it, and live up to his commitment to clean energy. The proposal to construct the pipeline was met with tremendous public dismay, and has so far resulted in the arrests of 1252 people in Washington DC. Now it is our time to stand up for the environment, and resonate the same message here in Pittsburgh. Please join us tomorrow for the peaceful rally and support a clean energy future at 11AM at East Carson St and South 29th Street. Pittsburgh, PA.

More information regarding the action can be found at our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=175341982548871

Dee Seneviratne

AASHE Student Summit

pittsburghsec — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:46:03 +0000

AASHE student summit is currently taking place (October 9^th-12^th) at the David Lawrence Center, in Pittsburgh, PA. PSEC teamed up with Black and Gold City Goes Green and co-sponsored the Northside Neighborhood Blitz community service event which took place on Sunday October 9^th. At this event, Northside residents were given compact fluorescent bulbs, recycling bags and schedules, and other information in order to live more sustainable lives. More information regarding the student summit can be found at http://conf2011.aashe.org/program/aashe-student-summit.

EPA holds public hearing in Pittsburgh to discuss “fracking” air pollution regulations

pittsburghsec — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:14:29 +0000

On September 27^th, 2011 EPA held a hearing to discuss the public opinion regarding the regulations to be placed on air pollution generated from oil and gas drilling operations. This hearing is one of several hearings to be held at various locations throughout the nation, including Denver and Arlington, Texas. These new EPA regulations to take effect in the spring of 2012 require that gas-drilling companies capture the emitted gas pollution. The new pollution control standards would apply to about 25,000 gas wells that are hydraulically fractured each year. As the drillers are allowed to sell this gas, the EPA estimates that it will save the industry about $30 million annually. Several members of PSEC attended the meeting and spoke out against the natural gas rush in PA, and the lack of proper regulations on the “fracking” industry. PSEC members as well as many citizens expressed serious concerns about air pollution resulting from drilling. While welcoming the new EPA regulations, PSEC and most attending citizens asked that even stronger regulatory measures be placed on gas drilling pollution. The first to speak at the hearing was Howard Feldman, the director of regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Petroleum Institute. Mr. Feldman claimed that the industry is not opposed to the regulatory measures to be implemented. He asserted that the “EPA has done a good job on the rule. We think it’s pretty reasonable,” “We just need a few more accommodations to make this work smoothly.” He also asked that the EPA extend the public comment period and provide companies with a one-year extension to comply with the new regulations. Kathryn Klaber, the president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, said that there is a “a lot more work to do” on the proposed EPA regulations. She stressed that complying immediately with the rules could, place a heavy burden on industry.

Despite the fact that representatives of the industry continued to claim that there are no real public health issues associated with the gas drilling industry, citizens and environmental groups such as PSEC, PennEnvironment, and the Environmental Defense Fund stressed that no delays should be made in implementing these basic and vastly overdue air pollution regulations. Drilling activities were identified as the single largest source of ozone precursor pollutants in Colorado in 2008, and storage tanks used for the production of gas in Texas were noted to be the largest source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the state. Additionally, the VOC and nitrogen pollutants released due to gas production in the Barnett Shale have bee identified by scientists as being comparable to all vehicular emissions in the Dallas Forth-Worth metro region.

Based on these public hearings, EPA will decide whether and when to impose air quality regulations on the “fracking” industry. PSEC remains hopeful that the EPA will stand up to its mission of protecting the environment and human public health, and implement stringent air pollution regulations on gas drilling emissions.

Dee Seneviratne

Click to view slideshow.

PSEC Speaks out at EPA Hearing

intergenerationaljustice — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:31:30 +0000

PSEC had an effective presence at the EPA Hearing in summer of 2010, offering the agency feedback about their latest study to determine hydraulic fracturing’s potential effects on groundwater. This fall, the EPA came to Pittsburgh again, but with a less controversial topic: amending air emissions standards for the oil & gas industry for the first time since 1995. When I say “less controversial” I mean — who wants more volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), sulfur dioxide, and methane in the air? These rules were stated to be cost effective to the industry and to result in a 25% reduction in emissions.In my two hour stead at David Lawrence Convention Center, testimony after testimony showed support for these regulations, with a smattering of opposition. Some speakers thanked the EPA for choosing Pittsburgh as one of three hearing locations, highlighting our city’s horrific air quality record and abominable asthma rate. Others made it imperative that they were not thanking the EPA for these regulations because it was their duty to do enact them “yesterday”. For many, including myself, this hearing was very much about fracking for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region; this hearing was another opportunity to tell the agency the negative impact fracking is already having on our region.

Here is what Katherine Luke shared:

This will be my second year living in Pittsburgh, but I was born and raised in southwest Virginia. In my hometown, Pittsburgh is still fondly known as the Paris of the Appalachians. This is not because it is the largest urban center in the area, but because it has managed to escape the poverty and decay that grip the region to the south. After the collapse of the coal and steel industries, Pittsburgh seemed doomed to become another crumbling skyline of the crippled Rust Belt. Yet, powered by innovation, it has seen an incredible resurgence, praised internationally as a model of successful urban renewal. The revitalization of Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania was marked by a transition from dependency on extractive industries. And yet, this region is now faced with a new issue, the most critical of our time, and the most threatening to all of the progress that has been made. This issue of overwhelming concern is that of hydro-fracturing in the Marcellus Shale.

PSEC believes that a permanent ban on fracking should be instituted, and that is because there are alternatives, both to fossil fuels, and the supposed economic development that this industry would bring. We would contend, that far from revitalizing the regional economy with new jobs, extractive industries would only drag the region down. As seen in the 2010 statistics prepared by the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, of the 47 highest grossing companies head-quartered in this region, only three are involved in natural gas exploration, however, none of these companies are in the top 50 employers in the region. According to that same report, the mining and logging industries employed 6,900 people in 2010, fewer than my university. Rather than the gas industry seeing expansive growth, the 2010 census, records that education, healthcare and social services comprise 25.4% of the jobs in this region (Southwest PA Commission), and that is a number that is growing annually.

This success is what garnered Pittsburgh international attention, as President Obama commended the city for having “transformed itself from the city of steel to a centre for high-tech innovation—including green technology, education and training, and research and development” In the future, the permanent jobs and real economic growth will be in this diverse array of forward-thinking fields. But to attract new industries, and retain the students coming out of 31 colleges and universities in western Pennsylvania, we must maintain a clean and healthy living environment. If fracking is to continue, the strictest regulations possible must be levied upon the industry. We must value people over profit.

Over the past year, I have grown to love this city, and I could see myself living here for years past college. Yet, I am terrified of the health effects that may have, the pollutants that are in my water, and the particulates in the air. And I know I am not alone. If western Pennsylvania wishes to attract young people and professionals to continue the economic growth of the past twenty years, provide an environment that we will want to live in and protect us from fracking in the Marcellus Shale. Today we are calling on the EPA to pass these regulations, to serve the present and long-term interests of our region and those fighting this same battle across the country.

The continued development of the Marcellus shale industry and the environmental destruction of southwest Pennsylvania would not only be a travesty in the eyes of our community, but also in the eyes of those in surrounding states who see this city as a beacon of hope. I may not have the life-experience, or technical expertise of the other members of this panel, but I still dream about the future. And in my dreams the skyline is not dominated by gas wells, the air is not smoggy, and the creeks are swimmable once again. I believe this dream is possible, do you?

Here’s to the dream.

Potluck Sunday, September 4 @ 3pm

intergenerationaljustice — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:27:09 +0000

Come out to Flagstaff Hill Sunday, September 4 @ 3:00pm!

Bring some food and learn about PSEC, bring your ideas for the fall semester, and we will get moving!

“Profits Before Environment”

Lorraine Keeler — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:20:41 +0000

Oops! I guess he meant "Dirty energy for America."

I love Mark Bittman for his food. But now that he has a new column in the New York Times he has started covering a lot of environmental issues too. In his newest column in which he covers regulation of genetically-engineered crops and the Keystone XL pipeline, he has echoed a lot of the sentiments PSEC-ers felt at Powershift:

“I wasn’t surprised when the administration of George W. Bush sacrificed the environment for corporate profits. But when the same thing happens under a Democratic administration, it’s depressing.

“If Keystone is built, we’ll see rising greenhouse gas emissions right away (tar sands production creates three times as many greenhouse gases as does conventional oil), and our increased dependence on fossil fuels will further the likelihood of climate-change disaster. Then there is the disastrous potential of leaks of the non-Wiki-variety. (It’s happened before.)

“A truly environmentally friendly president (like the one candidate Obama appeared to be) would be looking for creative ways to leave fossil fuels underground, not extract them. Perhaps he doesn’t “believe in” global warming at this point, like many Republicans?

“When government defends corporate interests, citizens must fight. McKibben has helped organize protests at the White House against Keystone, and he’s one of hundreds who’ve been arrested in the last couple of weeks. These people are showing that the role of government as corporate ally must be challenged.”

Read the full article here. And thanks to the PSEC members who exercised their right to civil disobedience and got arrested last weekend!