President Obama About to Cave on Keystone XL?

News — admin December 16, 2011 at 8:43 pm

It all comes down to Barack Obama.

As I type this, Big Oil’s representatives in the House and Senate are pushing legislation that would rush approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Up until now President Obama has stood strong, threatening to reject any bill that includes the pipeline. But in the last hour, some terrible news has begun to leak from DC: President Obama seems to be on the verge of caving on Keystone.

The next few hours will be absolutely crucial — the President needs to hear from you that cutting a back-room deal with Big Oil on Keystone XL is unacceptable. If he steps up makes a public threat to veto this bill, he can stop this pipeline in its tracks.

To keep his promises, President Obama needs to veto legislation that would rush approval of Keystone XL. This pipeline is a threat to our climate and jobs and needs to be stopped.

President Obama came into office promising to “end the tyranny of oil.” This is his chance to prove he was serious. If he’s not, he needs to know right now that there will be real consequences.

Big Oil cut a back-room deal with the dirtiest Members of Congress to attach this legislation to a must-pass tax cut bill. These kinds of deals exemplify the tyranny Big Oil exercises over our government, and underscores why the President needs to threaten a veto.

Your calls right now are absolutely crucial, and you should also be getting ready to get back into the streets in the days and weeks to come. We’re dusting off our plans to go to Obama 2012 offices and raise a ruckus. Call the White House, but also get in touch with your friends to start plotting your next steps locally.

Thanks to you, this fight isn’t over yet — not by a long shot.

Let’s go,

Duncan Meisel for the team at 350.org

Comments (18)

Dusty Hinz

Seriously, I love Bill McKibben, and I don’t want to be too harsh here, but I feel like the victory letter was a bit uncalled for and premature. I said it at the time in a response to his letter, and I will say it again now. After President Obama decided to kick the can down the road until after the 2012 election, a new campaign should have been mounted that said, “reject the keystone XL pipeline outright by the 2012 election or we are not going to vote for you.” I am sick of Obama’s centrist posturing and blatant political expediency. If he is not going to stand up firmly against Keystone and in favor of some kind of Green New Deal, then the heck with him. I am done. He has no legitimate vision for where this country needs to go and how we are going to get there. Bill, for life’s sake, the fate of the Eaarth hangs in the balance. These are epic times. Durban did nothing. Obviously, we did not win anything back in early November.

In my view, the political climate of determined and constant agitation and activism in this country (with Occupy) is something that tarsandsaction needs to ride the wave of. Sitting back and speaking in the rhetoric of victory was like checking, which allowed Obama to see which card he was dealt next. DON’T CHECK AGAIN. CALL HIM AND RAISE THE ANTE. We have nothing to lose but the planet.
http://twitter.com/blkbird77 blkbird77

anyon objecting to the keystone pipeline should have been protesting Republicans …where were they this week when Mcconnell,Speaker Boehner and Cantor attached the keystone pipeline to the Payroll Tax cut? and where are they NOW? it makes no sense that they chain themselves to WH trees,get arrested and call President Obama names when Republicans have gone out of there way to push this through legislation and keystone protesters stay silent … it makes you wonder just what side are they truly on
Dave O

So… did the bill pass in the Senate already? And if not, then why aren’t we continuing to chase after the Senators who are swings (or against us)?
Mhhensel

Democrats: Concession to GOP on Keystone will force Obama to kill pipeline
By Alexander Bolton – 12/16/11 09:08 PM ET

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/200073-democrats-concession-to-republicans-on-keystone-pipeline-will-force-obama-to-kill-the-project
Hydro power is the answer

Obama is as transparent as glass. He is a political Adonis who is only concerned with himself. He has duped and used those who have supported him. Where is the change of how things are done in government? What about free and above board transparent discussion? The end of members of goverment enriching themselves at the expense of society ?

Frustrated beyond belief
http://twitter.com/Tonystarke777 Ricardo Quest

Tar Sands Action:If you don’t want OBama to cave on this issue why don’t you call OUT those republicans or continue to PROTEST outside their offices!

You sure screamed and hollered for Obama to halt the pipeline and he did it!
Do you actually think Romney and the tea party are going to champion you cause!
- Paul Bruce
  
  Actually the Keystone pipeline issue never had to be submitted to Congress for its approval – this is a VERY IMPORTANT distinction to make. Obama could have denied the pipeline proposal immediately after the flawed and corrupt State Department review, orchestrated by Secretary of State Clinton on behalf of special interests. Quite frankly, Clinton should also have been asked to resign after that fiasco. Yes I agree that the Republicans have consistently pushed issues like this to a crisis point, but unfortunately the President always caves in.
Dean Hulse

If President Obama allows the Keystone XL pipeline to proceed, then I’m through with the Democratic party, both nationally and within my home state of North Dakota, which hosts the Keystone I pipeline.

Moving forward (presuming the president fails us), I would like assistance from Tar Sands Action in helping me organize a third party in my state. I think creating a national green party might be the best campaign Tar Sands Action could support.
- Paul Bruce
  
  I agree Dean 100%. The President has forgotten his campaign promises time and again, especially on the environment, and Democratic members of Congress seem all too willing to go along with him. Ralph Nader was right!
  - http://twitter.com/Tonystarke777 Ricardo Quest
    
    The republicans know that Obama want’s to protect the middle class by maintaining unemployment and keeping the payroll tax which will put $1500 into the pockets of hurting americans.
    
    If Obama keeps his promise to environmentalist, the gop knows it will hurt him with the unions and halt the unemployment and the payroll tax.If he dosn’t keep his promise to you, then he keeps the unemployment and payroll tax but is forced to comply with the gop on the pipeline and the phoney jobs! If Obama caves then the gop KNOWS you guys will protest outside the whitehouse and BLAME him and not them. Thus, Obama is in a BOX!
    
    Instead of bombarding his office with messages not to cave in you should have taken your case to the american people and CALLED OUT the GOP for what they are, and what they are doing! THey do not care about environmentalist! THey do not care about the middle class….and you guys have made it very difficult for Obama. Do you actually think MItt is going to be on your side?
- http://twitter.com/Tonystarke777 Ricardo Quest
  
  If Obama allows the pipeline to be built then you were through with the democratic party a long time ago! The gop have placed OBAMA in a no-win situation and I see you didnt STORM thier offices!
  Thanks for NOTHING!
  - Dean Hulse
    
    Tony, How do you know whose offices I’ve stormed? Furthermore, I don’t know that President Obama should find himself in anything at all resembling a no-win situation. If he has the courage to make climate change a campaign issue, perhaps the independent voters who must be growing increasingly skeptical of the Republican candidates–all of whom seem to believe that denying the scientific process is a requirement for nomination–will help re-elect him in a landslide.
    
    Meanwhile, why don’t you enlighten me as to the logic of the first sentence in your post above.
http://twitter.com/Tonystarke777 Ricardo Quest

Obama has EVERY RIGHT to cave in!
YOU storm the white house and bother the ONE person on your side and FAIL to call out the GOP who have put OBAMA in a no-win situation!
NOw , you’ll go crying to OBAMA instead of standing with him and fighting the REAL cuprits…. the republicans and the tea party!
Dean Hulse

Troll on, Tony (Ricardo Quest). You fail to remember that President Obama made campaign promises. I’m not “crying to Obama,” I’m calling him on his pledge. The “REAL cuprits” (sic) are those who kowtow to corporate interests, and “the republicans and the tea party” aren’t the only folks at the trough.
http://twitter.com/Tonystarke777 Ricardo Quest

If the pipeline goes through you have no one to blame but yourselves for not standing with the president when the gop cleverly tied the pipeline to unemployment and the payroll tax!
Why didnt you call and bug, and protest the GOP offices?
Because you know the the GOP don’t give a damm!
Chris87

President Obama will lose badly in several states if he does not stop this pipeline democrats always take people for granted they will see what happens when people stay home or vote third party
http://twitter.com/Tonystarke777 Ricardo Quest

Obama should let the pipeline be BUILT!

When the gop attached the pipeline to unemployment and the payroll tax all you guys have done is go CRYING to OBAMA instead of calling out those nutty republicans!
IF he caves, it is your own FAULT!
Cysciborg

it is most probably a done deal, as I see the pipe on obscure rail sidings and tracks in the region, parked until its a “GO” ! the NoDak & SoDak line and Montana line are now host to miles on miles of the pipe. so, what do you suppose ? they are going to return it to the factory ? not a chance !