STOP TAR SANDS

There are three different sites I've linked here, to explain tar sands, what you can do to help stop it and to show support.

The tar sands of Northern Alberta, Canada – also called oil sands – are one of the largest remaining deposits of oil in the world ... From Green Peace

Developing the tar sands has created the biggest industrial development project, the biggest capital investment project, and the biggest energy project in the world. It has also created a literal hell on earth.

 Areas of wilderness the size of small countries are chewed up and replaced by a landscape of toxic lakes, open pit mines, refineries, and pipe lines. The tar sands are what unrestrained fossil fuel use and unchecked greenhouse gas emissions look like. They are pushing us towards runaway climate change.

Some things you can do to clean your hands of TAR SANDS from People and Planet

People & Planet are launching ‘Tar Sands-Free’, a campaign to get UK universities, schools and colleges to cut ties with companies that are supporting this disastrous industry, and you can get involved!

Does your school, university or college bank with RBS (or subsidiary, NatWest)?

Do they receive sponsorship money from BP or Shell?

Do they invest students’ money in any of the above companies?

If so, it’s up to you and your fellow students to get them to go ‘Tar Sands-Free’!

Go to the site and sign up to get updates and show support.

Republicans are trying to push it through as an amendment to the Transportation Bill, which would force the pipeline through even though President Obama rejected it from Sustainable Busines 

The vote could take place today or tomorrow. There are other provisions that would be approved too, including forced expanded oil drilling and repealing EPA's crucial clean air boiler rule.

There are so many reasons to reject the pipeline. The only reason to accept it are the millions of dollars big oil is piping to politicians to push it through.

Some of the reasons to reject the pipeline:

- tar sands oil is the dirtiest on earth, producing triple the carbon emissions of conventional oil. Many say it would be "game over" for climate change if Canada's tar sands expands, which is the whole point of the pipeline

- Alberta's tar sands are in Canada's boreal forest, one of the largest, pristine rainforests on earth. The forest is stripped to produce tar sands oil, raping its biodiversity and leading to massive extinctions. Caribou are so stressed that Canada's now considering killing their wolves to protect them.

- oil that flows through the pipeline down the entire spine of the US, will NOT supply the US, so it won't get us off foreign oil. It will flow to the Gulf and will be exported from there. The US is just a passageway.

- the US won't see a cent of money from the oil or taxes because the Gulf refineries are in a Foreign Trade Zone. In fact, most experts see oil prices rising from the pipeline.

- the tar sands pipeline in Canada leaked 30 times in the first year it was built - expect that in the US.

- TransCanada is using eminent domain to force the pipeline on private land against the wishes of landowners.