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Obama's Keystone XL Pipeline Would Cut My Property in Half!

My name is David Daniel, and I'm a landowner from east Texas. Yesterday, I was arrested, for the first time in my life, in front of the White House. In the last week, over 500 people from across the country have have been arrested too. Let me explain why.

I purchased a beautiful 20-acre plot of land for my family to make our home. We take care of its 100-year-old trees, its wetlands, and waterways. My dream is to leave it for my daughter to enjoy with her family.

The Keystone XL pipeline, whose permit is on President Obama's desk today, would cut my property in half. But this isn't just about me; this is a national issue. It will damage wildlife habitat from Canada to the Gulf Coast, put our nation's largest aquifer at risk of contamination, and undermine our clean energy future. According to noted NASA climate scientist James Hansen, if we let this pipeline move forward, it's game over for our climate.

Click here to tell President Obama to reject the Keystone XL permit.

Tar sands oil is a particularly nasty type of oil,2 dwarfing crude oil in terms of its damage to our climate. There's almost as much carbon in this stuff as in the oil fields of Saudi Arabia.3 Allowing this tar sands pipeline to go forward paves the way for even more dirty energy to pollute our future by creating the first international market for tar sands oil.4 I risked getting arrested yesterday because I could not let this happen.

TransCanada, the company behind this scheme, tried to scare me with intimidating letters and strong-arm tactics to get me to sign away my land. I may have signed a piece of paper, but I'm appealing to a higher power. They didn't know who they were messing with.

I'm joining with fellow farmers from Nebraska to Texas to educate people about the physical and environmental dangers posed by this toxic pipeline. We're talking to folks all over the country. Yesterday, however, I came to talk with the President.

Sign this petition and stand with me against Keystone XL. Tell the President to prevent another oil disaster on his watch.

Click here to sign the petition and tell President Obama to reject the Keystone XL permit.

This is an extraordinary moment where people like me who don't normally do things like this are taking a chance. Join us as we step up.

Thank you,

-David Daniel

Sources:

1. "James Hansen slams Keystone XL Canada-U.S. Pipeline: "Exploitation of tar sands would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts,"", Think Progress, June 5, 2011 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263536&id=30497-6013359-MdA8ttx&t=10

2. "What are the Tar Sands?," Rainforest Action Network, January 11, 2011 http://ran.org/content/what-are-tar-sands

3. "Tar Sands Pipeline Plan Renews Energy vs. Environment Debate," PBS NewsHour, August 29, 2011 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263537&id=30497-6013359-MdA8ttx&t=11

4. "Say No to Tar Sands Pipeline: Proposed Keystone XL Project Would Deliver Dirty Fuel at a High Cost," FuelFacts, Natural Resources Defense Council, accessed August 30, 2011 http://www.nrdc.org/land/files/TarSandsPipeline4pgr.pdf
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