June, 20 2013, 01:39pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Whit Jones, 914-671-1880, whit@energyactioncoalition.org; Daniel Kessler, daniel@350.org, 510-501-1779
145 Former Obama Campaign Staff Release Open Letter Calling on President Obama to Reject Keystone XL
“For so long you have been the source of our hope and inspiration. Please don’t disappoint us. Reject Keystone XL.”
WASHINGTON
In a letter to President Obama released today, 145 of his former campaign staff are calling on the president to make good on his promise to deal with climate change and to start by rejecting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
The letter is a key part of a new front in Keystone fight. On Monday, two former Obama staff were arrested in an act of civil disobedience in Chicago where they announced a new escalation of former staff, donors, and supporters. Over 62,000 people have pledged to risk arrest if the president moves forward with Keystone, and to date over 1,500 people have been arrested to stop the tar sands pipeline.
Andrew Nazdin, who worked as a Deputy Training Director for OFA in Virginia in 2012 and is now the Field Director for Energy Action Coalition was arrested in Chicago, said: "Climate change is not an abstraction for my generation--it's a reality that we are dealing with now. The president has repeatedly promised action and we expect him to be true to his word. Climate change is a top issue for the youth voters that worked day-in and day-out to elect President Obama -- the president promised action and we are going to hold him to his word, lead on climate, and reject Keystone XL."
Ben Wessel, New Hampshire Youth Vote Director in 2012, said: "I worked day and night for President Obama because I knew he'd make the right call on decisions like the Keystone XL pipeline. Everyone on this letter believes in the President to do the right thing and stop this pipeline."
Full text of the letter is available here: https://bit.ly/OFAStaffNoKXL
350 is building a future that's just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis. We're an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.
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