Santa Cruz Joins Nationwide Vigils to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline

Environmental advocates demonstrated at the clock tower in downtown Santa Cruz on February 3 — one of over two hundred across the U.S. — calling on President Obama to reject the controversial Keystone XL pipeline after the Administration late Friday issued a report supporting the pipeline.

The event was part of a national campaign led by CREDO, Rainforest Action Network, the Sierra Club and 350.org, among a host of other organizations.

They are calling on the president to keep his commitment to reduce carbon pollution and reject the pipeline, which will be a huge source of carbon pollution and clearly fails the climate test set by President Obama.

Protesters are urging President Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline following the release of the State Department’s new environmental assessment.

Keystone XL is a tar sands pipeline that would transport some of the dirtiest crude oil on the planet from Alberta, Canada, and across American soil for export. The demonstration is part of a campaign to try and stop the pipeline from ruining the climate and endangering communities along the proposed pipeline route.

The protest takes place as the Governor Jerry Brown is fast-tracking the construction of the peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and promoting the expansion of environmentally destructive fracking while California suffers from an unprecedented drought.

Dan Bacher contributed to this article.