What do Margot Kidder, Darrell Hannah and Naomi Klein have in common? Unless you’ve been avoiding the news lately, you’ll know that they were arrested at the White House protesting Calgary-based TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. The 1,700-mile pipeline would cut through six U.S. states to deliver crude oil to the refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama has until November 1st to make a decision on the project.
This is a huge project that has people predictably polarized. A total of 1,252 people were arrested over two weeks in the largest environmental civil disobedience effort in decades. More protests are planned for Ottawa beginning September 26th.
Proponents say the negative impacts will be minimized and that the project will create much needed jobs, while providing a reliable and friendly source of oil for the U.S. The protestors say that the project will endanger water supplies of millions of people and that the oilsands are “the dirtiest fuel on the planet” for their carbon emissions and the pollution they generate.
In a way, even Oprah has weighed in. The Oprah Winfrey Network recently started airing pro-oil sands “Ethical Oil” ads for which she came under fire.
How do you separate fact from fiction? Who do you trust? Read up! Get informed at the library.