Today, TransCanada — builders and promoters of both Keystone XL and the Energy East tar sands pipelines — had this to say about their commitment to protect the environment:
Then the internet took over. The response… was not kind. But it was kind of funny!
Bill McKibben had this to say:
Maybe my favorite tweet ever. I sure hope no one thinks up any clever replies. #kxl https://t.co/aLpmYucxnx
— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) May 25, 2015
Others wondered if it could have been a joke?
Has @TheOnion taken over @TransCanada twitter account? #nokxl
— Jane Fleming Kleeb (@janekleeb) May 25, 2015
But no, it was real.
This is from an actual Twitter-verified account: https://t.co/TLuQ5bTfVi
— Drew Gilmore (@dotsandlines) May 25, 2015
Other excellent snark followed:
Thanks? https://t.co/z4JUBVkdMX
— Joe Bailey (@joebailey7) May 25, 2015
Hard to imagine a dumber thing to say. About anything. Ever….Still trying…Nope. Nothing dumber. Ever. https://t.co/dnr7hj3kW3
— Michael Gaston (@Gastonacts) May 25, 2015
I… I don't think that's it… 😕😕😕 https://t.co/AoCZOzqSGu
— molly katchpole (@mollykatch) May 25, 2015
Safety!
@TransCanada Yeah, that's a great place for them. What could *possibly* go wrong with oil pipelines running under rivers?
— Brian (@bridoc) May 25, 2015
Flawless reasoning!
Just like BP protects the Gulf of Mexico by drilling beneath it? https://t.co/ydROmUMGDv
— David Turnbull (@david_turnbull) May 25, 2015
Big Oil knows best!
Yep, burying pipelines below water eliminates all risk!
https://t.co/xitMGb5Tan pic.twitter.com/UeFeQdX6Se
— Karthik Ganapathy (@kartpath) May 25, 2015
That’s how you clean things, right?
@TransCanada That's just like how I clean my house by sweeping all the dirt under the carpet.
— James McLaren (@JamesHMcLaren) May 25, 2015
Perhaps if we communicate with them via hockey, they’ll understand…
.@TransCanada try protecting the net by pulling your goaltender at the start of the first period.
— Mike Sandmel (@mikeysandmel) May 25, 2015
This friendly tweeter was looking for more environmental tips:
@TransCanada Thanks for the inspiration! Can I also protect children by adding mercury & arsenic to their food? Pls send more helpful tips.
— Alex Lenferna (@al_lenferna) May 25, 2015
Burying your head in the sand is probably safer than burying TransCanada’s pipelines… but it won’t help the climate either:
@TransCanada And burying your heads in the sand too, apparently.
— Twyla (@Indigenia) May 25, 2015
They clearly didn’t see it coming, either:
Who could have predicted this tweet would not go over well https://t.co/UQvlBfwVWM
— Lauren Strapagiel (@laurenstrapa) May 25, 2015
The real message here is clear: TransCanada is in denial — about their impact on the climate, and about the feasibility of their absurd pipeline plans. Let’s stop Keystone XL and Energy East — with tweets and whatever other tools we need:
Reason 89 to say #NoKXL, #EnergyEast: #TransCanada feels it's helping enviro by "burying pipelines below riverbeds"
https://t.co/08E7aJupGL
— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) May 25, 2015