If we learned anything last week, it’s that Donald Trump doesn’t always get what he wants. And when it comes to the Keystone XL pipeline, he may be disappointed again.
On March 27th, we hosted a call with movement leaders from the US and Canada and they laid out the 5 ways that people power can bring this pipeline to a halt, no matter what Trump signs.
Here are five ways forward:
1. Nebraskans against the pipeline
Bold Nebraska has been one of the main groups leading the opposition to Keystone XL since the beginning — and they get results. The pipeline has no permit in Nebraska — and can’t start building any of the pipeline until they have it. Not to mention, dozens of landowners are ready to push back to defend their land and water. They even built a solar and wind powered barn in the path of the pipeline (pictured above). That barn isn’t going anywhere, and neither are these pipeline fighters.
Take action now by sending a comment to the Nebraska Public Service Commission here.
2. Indigenous opposition
Keystone XL would pass through the treaty lands of the Rosebud Sioux Nation in South Dakota and several other Tribal Nations, and threaten the Mni Wiconi water system that supports their local economy and farming. The Rosebud Sioux have already set up a spirit camp, the Shield the People camp, in the path of the pipeline and plan to oppose the pipeline in the courts, and in the path of the pipeline. Last year we saw the impact that Indigenous-led resistance along a pipeline route can have — and now we could see it again.
To learn more about the spirit camp and find out how you can support, click here.
3. Stop the money and #DefundKXL
Photo Credit: Rae Breaux
Tar sands, the kind of oil that would pass through Keystone XL, is some of the dirtiest and most expensive on the planet. With oil demand and prices both dropping, this project faces big financial headwinds. That means hitting them in their pocketbook could make a big difference. By doubling-down on pressuring cities, schools, banks and other institutions to divest from fossil fuel companies like Transcanada (the company trying to build Keystone) we can keep projects like this from ever starting. Investors and banks need to know that fossil fuel infrastructure projects are unethical and risky and should not be funded.
Click here to see if your bank is funding Keystone XL and learn how to help #DefundKXL.
4. Sue to stop their broken process
Trump rushed Keystone XL through — without a new environmental review, without consulting tribes, and without listening to the people he is meant to serve. Groups like the Sierra Club are lawyering up to fight this project in the courts.
To learn more about the legal case against Keystone XL, click here.
5. Stop it at the source
Keystone XL would start in Canada, where the oil industry is ripping up the land — and the treaties signed with First Nations for the sake of tar sands. First Nations are taking Big Oil to court and Canadians are taking to the streets to oppose expansion of the tar sands industry. If the oil never leaves the ground at the source, there’s no need for projects like Keystone XL. This fight is about much more than just Keystone, it’s about keeping fossil fuels in the ground, standing up for indigenous rights, and for a renewable energy future.
Click here to learn more about the work happening to stop tar sands expansion at the source in Alberta, Canada.
The backbone of all of these strategies is national grassroots opposition. People everywhere will be a part of this fight. These 5 approaches to stop Keystone XL are just a few in a long list of ways we can oppose Big Oil, pipelines, and the fossil fuel industry as a whole.
Let’s get started.
P.S. – Join us in Washington D.C. on April 29th for the Peoples Climate March where we’ll march in Trump’s backyard to let him know that we’ll resist this pipeline and every single one after it. This movement is powerful and we will fight for jobs, justice and the climate.