Stop tar sands expansion in the northeast

Communities on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are protesting this week to oppose new plans for tar sands pipelines that would pass through Ontario, Quebec, and parts of New England. Supporters of the “Tar Sands Free Northeast” coalition are building a wall of resistance to tar sands expansion by using nonviolent direct actions, like chanting and “dressing the message.” The protests will culminate in a demonstration on Saturday, January 26, 2013 in Portland, Maine.

Activists are demanding that Canada’s National Energy Board halt Enbridge’s attempt to revive the Trailbreaker plan. This plan would reverse the direction of oil flow through Enbridge Line 9 and the Portland-Montreal Pipeline and pump dirty tar sands oil through these two old conventional pipelines. The reversal would be an environmental and human rights catastrophe. Tar sands exploitation produces three times as much pollution as conventional oil, and with the Trailbreaker plan the risk of toxic spills is high.

According to Tar Sands Free Northeast, “At a time when we must embrace a clean energy future, tar sands oil takes us in the wrong direction. The United States and Canada should instead implement a comprehensive oil savings plan and reduce oil consumption by increasing fuel efficiency standards and encouraging the development of hybrid cars, renewable energy, environmentally sustainable biofuels, and smart growth to meet our transportation needs.”