I’m sure you remember the oil spill from the Keystone XL pipeline last November. Did you think it was an isolated incident? Think again. In the past ten years, more than 34 million gallons of hazardous liquids have spilled from pipelines into the soil and water — and that’s just in the U.S. And the oil industry wants to construct hundreds of miles of new pipelines that will threaten countless lakes, rivers, aquifers, and waterways.
Several of those proposed pipelines cross indigenous communities, often without the required consent of the local tribes. This breach of First Nations’ sovereignty and rights threatens sites of huge cultural importance as well as communities’ water supplies.
One of the things we’re focusing on this year is resisting pipelines … As we enter a new year with new challenges and threats, we need your support. You’ve stood with us before; please do so again in 2018.
It’s sometimes easy to feel overwhelmed, but the fact is that the tide is turning in the battle against the fossil fuel industry. Several major fossil fuel infrastructure projects, including pipelines, have been cancelled. Public and political support for pipelines is plummeting, and major investors are pulling out of financing them. And a boom in cars and transit powered by renewable energy — and not oil — is just beginning.
But to maintain this momentum, we need your support once again. People power can successfully challenge the oil companies, and the financiers and politicians who enable them. I want you to rejoin this movement!
The company behind the Dakota Access pipeline has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Greenpeace and several other organizations. They’re trying to silence us, which can only mean one thing: They’re scared of the power we have when we unite together. That’s why we need you to join with us once more.
Diana Best is a Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace USA