November, 03 2015, 07:45am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Stephen Kretzmann, steve [at] priceofoil [dot] org
David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil [dot] org
Response to TransCanada Request for Suspension of Keystone XL Application
WASHINGTON
In response to the announced request by TransCanada to suspend its application for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, Oil Change International released the following statements:
Stephen Kretzmann, Executive Director of Oil Change International, said:
"TransCanada is losing and everyone - including them - knows it. When you're losing in the final seconds you commit a bunch of fouls and call all your timeouts. That's exactly what TransCanada is doing here. President Obama should recognize desperation when he sees it and reject Keystone XL. Blow the whistle today and end this game.
In fact, TransCanada is just the latest rat to flee the sinking tar sands ship. Shell canceled its big tar sands project last week, and the whole sector is under stress from a combination of low oil prices and lack of market access. And when I say "lack of market access", I mean "a continental movement that is stopping all new tar sands pipelines and defending our land and the climate.
Bottom line: the Keystone XL pipeline has been defeated by the movement with an assist from the markets - it only remains for the President to reject the permit and call an end to this."
David Turnbull, Campaigns Director of Oil Change International, added:
"Regardless of the route, we have known all along that Keystone XL imperils communities and fails the climate test that President Obama put forward. The President should reject TransCanada's desperate request for a suspension of the application, and reject this dirty pipeline at the same time."
Just last week, Oil Change International released Lockdown: The End of Growth in the Tar Sands. The analysis found that without major expansion-driving pipelines such as Keystone XL, there will be no room for further growth in tar sands extraction and tens of billions of metric tonnes of carbon will be kept in the ground. This would be a significant step towards a safer climate.
Oil Change International is a research, communications, and advocacy organization focused on exposing the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitating the ongoing transition to clean energy.
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