Dear Senator Bennet/Udall, [[letter will be delivered to both Senators on Monday]]
On Feb. 23rd, 2012, a petition was delivered to your office signed by over 27,000 of your Colorado constituents (during a 24-hour petition drive!) urging you to Reject the Keystone XL Pipeline! Then, on Feb. 17th, 2013, over 1,000 Coloradans attended a #ForwardOnClimate/No KXL pipeline rally in Denver and ~100 Coloradans attended the parent rally in D.C. with over 40,000 people.
Now we have heard that an amendment is expected this week to the budget bill in the Senate intended to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. Your D.C. staff have said that you are “undecided” on the pipeline. Considering the strong public opposition to this pipeline from your constituents, we hope this is not true.
As representatives from 350.org, Sierra Club, and Greenpeace said in our meeting with your staff two weeks ago, "undecided" is totally unacceptable. It is not possible to be a climate champion and support the Keystone XL pipeline. Emissions from burning the tar sands oil would quickly overwhelm all the other efforts of our climate champs if allowed to proceed.
NASA scientist James Hansen and others have stated that exploiting the oil in the tar sands would likely raise CO2 concentration to ~600ppm, which he has stated would be "game over" for a safe climate and hence game over for a safe future for our children and future generations. This cannot be allowed to happen. Such a dereliction of responsibility would be unthinkable and unconscionable.
We call on you to publicly commit to opposing the Keystone XL pipeline and reject any bill or amendment that would force approval of the pipeline – “the fuse to a carbon bomb" – under any circumstance. Any "compromise" on the very livability of our planet would be inexcusable. Many of your long-time supporters have expressed extreme disappointment at the idea of you considering support for a bill with the pipeline included. In fact, almost 52,000 people across the US (including many Coloradans) have already signed onto a KXL Pledge of Resistance, committing to civil disobedience if necessary to block the pipeline. The KXL pipeline is viewed as a “litmus test”, clarifying which of our leaders are serious about stopping climate change and who are just giving it lip service. Please let us know that we can count on you to stand strong against the pipeline.
It’s time for our Nation’s leaders to recognize how our addiction to fossil fuels is harming us, commit to a clean energy future, and protect our children, who have to live with our choices. Don't allow 'game over' for the climate. Block any efforts to revive the dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and help us achieve a clean, renewable energy future.
Sincerely,
The undersigned.