Oil Pipeline Protest Planned at White House

Politico reports:

A group of environmentalists and liberal celebrities are organizing civil disobedience protests at the White House against a proposed oil pipeline — with the emphasis on “civil.”

In an open letter, actor Danny Glover, activists Bill McKibben, James Hansen, David Suzuki and others ask for volunteers willing to risk arrest at the White House from mid-August to Labor Day.

But they don’t want downtown Washington to look like Vancouver after the Stanley Cup Finals.

“We will do it in dignified fashion, demonstrating that in this case we are the conservatives, and that our foes — who would change the composition of the atmosphere are dangerous radicals,” the letter states. “Come dressed as if for a business meeting — this is, in fact, serious business.”

At issue is the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline that would run from the Canadian oil — or tar — sands to the Gulf coast. Environmentalists have lobbyied against it because of concerns over the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions linked to the use of oil sands-based crude oil, as well as worries about potential spills and the impact on low-income and minority communities.