The President of the United States and United States State Department granted a permit for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline on Friday, March 24, continuing this administration’s reversal of the position held by President Obama and his administration.
Even with this presidential backing, opponents of the pipeline aren’t ready to give in to TransCanada Corporation, the company that owns the pipeline’s efforts without a fight.
Sara Shor, who works for the climate advocacy group for 350.org as a campaign manager, said that they plan to:
“[R]aise hell at the national level… We’re going to continue to make Keystone XL a political issue and push every elected official to come out against this project."
This change in position from the federal level, while disappointing to the dozens of landowners opposing the $8 billion pipeline, was not unexpected. Art Tanderup, whose farm lies in the proposed path of the pipeline has been fighting back both in court and on the land itself. He and his wife Helen have planted blue, white, red and speckled corn sacred to the local Ponca Tribe in their fields as part of their continued protest. In an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star, he commented on the recent permit and said that:
“We’re quite disappointed,” Tanderup said. “Now we’re looking what we can do to stop it, and obviously that is through the Nebraska Public Service Commission.”
David Domina, who represents 93 landowners opposing the pipeline, appeared on CBC News Network to discuss the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The Ponca Tribe also weighed in on the pipeline, criticizing it for the threat it poses to historic, sacred, cultural and archaeological resources and sites in both their historical and federally recognized territory. Tribe Chairman Larry Wright Jr. released a statement, saying that:
“The pipeline has the potential to impact the economic and social interests of the Tribe as well as the development of the Tribe’s territory for itself, its members, and all Nebraskans.”
A number of environmental groups, including 350.org, Sierra Club and Bold Alliance have pledged their support to fighting back against this pipeline, as well as other potential future pipelines that could threaten the safety and livelihoods of others throughout the United States.
"People are going to be mad at Trump for bringing Keystone back because it’s going to cause resistance for every single pipeline project across the country and it’s going to cause pressure for the banks that fund all these projects," Shor said. "We are building an army of resistance. This fight is not over. And we’re going to have to keep on fighting this for probably years to come."
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