This is an archive of WNV’s coverage of the movement against the Keystone XL pipeline (2011-2015).
Frontline indigenous communities took center stage in the largest anti-tar sands demonstration in Midwest history.
The decision is a win for pipeline opponents, but they still require an outright rejection to put the issue to rest.
The fight to end fossil fuels is a fight for the future, and for the communities that are exploited by those industries. So, it’s only natural that the soundtrack to the struggle come from a 24-year-old Lakota rapper.
As a decision on the Keystone XL looms, it may prove helpful to understand that initial failure often contains the seeds for longterm success.
Far more than just a controversial tar sands pipeline, the battle over the Keystone XL is proving to be a flashpoint for political action among a generation whose future is imperiled by the continued combustion of fossil fuels.
While grassroots efforts to halt construction of the Keystone XL’s southern portion were not successful, many activists believe the lessons learned through that experience will be useful in the upcoming battle over the pipeline’s northern section.
Before the Keystone XL and Northern Gateway campaigns come to an end, we all must recognize the dangers of having a single-issue approach to movement building.
Many climate justice activists are finding that solidarity with indigenous and frontline-impacted communities means opposing not only climate change, but also capitalism.
Until recently the energy industry has been able to keep its hardball tactics largely out of public view. But further exposure may play into the hands of environmental activists.
Instead of saying we don’t approve of the Keystone XL pipeline and the dirty politics surrounding it, activists should appeal to a widely shared value in America: clean political decision-making.