The oil pipe aims to carry 900,000 barrels of tar sand oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. According to environmentalist organization Friends of the Earth US, this type of oil is much more polluting than conventional oil, since in its production state, carbon dioxide is emitted three times more than with conventional oil, due to the more intensive extraction and refining processes.

In addition, the group is warning that this type of oil extraction requires large amounts of water: in fact, for every barrel extracted, three barrels of water are lost. This has to be added to the damage against native communities, whose livelihood and health are affected by the presence of the oil pipeline.

According to the US news website Democracy Now!, 595 people have been arrested since the protests outside the White House began in August. Among the people arrested is Elijah Zarlin, who worked as a senior writer for President Obama’s election campaign in 2008, actress Daryl Hannah and Greenpeace USA Executive Director, Phil Radford.

James Hansen, Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was also arrested. The scientist was one of the first to warn about the impacts of climate change at world level, and according to a report by International Business Times, he supposedly said while being arrested that Obama should stop the building of the pipeline “for the sake of your children and grandchildren.”

Together with other prominent scientists, Hansen sent a letter to the White House demanding Obama to stop the advance of the project, because this could have serious impacts on the environment.

The Keystone XL pipeline would cross six US states, including important rivers that are key water sources for agricultural production. One of the greatest fears of those who protest is the possibility of oil spills that will affect these water sources, risking the provision of this resource for the US population.

One of the proposals to stop the building of the pipeline by Friends of the Earth US is to demand President Obama to halt the project.

Photo: http://www.foe.org/