News Release - 200 protests tomorrow, including in Houston
Maria Selva
Friday, September 20, 2013
Contact:
Maria Selva 281 546 5939, selv...@hotmail.com
Ben Franklin 832 297 8595, veryl...@gmail.com
200 Protests across the nation to pressure Obama to shut down Keystone XL Pipeline
Houston, TX - There will be more than 200 protests/rallies across the nation in events called "Draw the Line" tomorrow, Saturday 9/21/13: The aim is to put pressure on Obama to shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline and to remind him to keep his word on addressing climate change. The organization 350.org is coordinating with local groups to bring this about.
Three protests/rallies are planned for this Saturday 9/21/13 in Houston. This is a continuation of this past Monday's 9/16/13 arrest of 13 people outside TransCanada's offices in downtown Houston which were organized by CREDO.
The local group coordinating with national organizations is No Keystone XL. We are particularly concerned since the various pipelines come from Canada and northern US states to end up here in Houston for processing and shipping out of the Port of Houston.
We are impacted more in Houston and eastern Texas than the rest of the country due to:
* false eminent domain claims which have been used to seize Texans' land
* greater concentration of unsuitable pipelines means greater likelihood of rupture and spills and an inability to clean it up. Oil companies do not even know how to clean up Tar Sands oil which is significantly different from normal crude. The Tar Sands spill in the Kalamazoo river in July 2010 still has not been cleaned. The Mayflower, AK March 29, 2013 spill of Tar Sands oil has still not been cleaned up and is making local residents sick just from breathing the chemicals emanating from the oil.
* greater concentration of trains carrying Tar Sands oil can result in destruction similar to what happened in Quebec, Canada with their railroad accident carrying the same type of oil.
* greater air pollution and cancer causing chemicals since the Tar Sands oil is coming to the Valero refinery at 610 & 225. Tar Sands oil is a more toxic form of oil than we've seen before and even more toxic chemicals are inserted to make it flow down the pipeline. We are prevented from knowing what is in the oil because of proprietary information of what is being used to make the oil liquid enough to flow down the pipeline. But those chemicals will be released once the oil is refined and we get the fall out in Houston's air.
* the oil is being shipped out of the Port of Houston (it is not even meant primarily for American use) so we again are at an increased risk of industrial accident/spill in the Port of Houston from that oil.
The 3 "Draw the Line" events in Houston are:
10 am
March against Keystone
Love Park
1000 W 12th St
Houston, TX 77008
12 noon
Protest to "Draw the Line"
Galleria
Westheimer & Post Oak Blvd.
2pm
Street Theatre
Hermann Park, near Miller Theatre
6000 Hermann Park Dr
Houston, TX 77030
On Sept. 21, we will show the president that we are committed to stopping this pipeline and that we are watching his next move closely.