Keystone XL Pipeline
Developer TCEnergy announced June 9 that it was abandoning the Keystone XL pipeline that was slated to bring tar-sands oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico for international sales. Activists, including United Methodist climate advocates, fought the pipeline for 12 years. (Bureau of Land Management Photo)
A United Methodist Insight Column
United Methodist environmental activists are rejoicing at the news that the developer of the Keystone XL pipeline has decided to close the project after 12 years of constant resistance.
According to the environmental lobby, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):
“The Keystone XL pipeline extension, proposed by energy infrastructure company TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) in 2008, was designed to transport the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel to market—fast. An expansion of the company’s existing Keystone Pipeline System, which has been operating since 2010 (and is already sending Canadian tar sands crude from Alberta to various processing hubs in the middle of the United States), it would dramatically increase capacity to process the 168 billion barrels of crude oil locked up under Canada’s boreal forest. To be precise, it would transport 830,000 barrels of Alberta tar sands oil per day to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
“… Dirty energy lobbyists claimed developing tar sands would protect our national energy security and bring U.S. fuel prices down. But NRDC and its partners found the majority of Keystone XL oil would be sent to markets overseas (aided by a 2015 reversal of a ban on crude oil exports)—and could even lead to higher prices at U.S. pumps.”
NPR reported on the significance of the pipeline project’s closure: “Keystone XL would have passed through Nebraska, and for years, a coalition of Indigenous tribes, ranchers and local environmentalists demonstrated, lobbied, and sued to halt the pipeline's construction. Its proposed route in Nebraska cut through the Ogallala Aquifer, the groundwater source for millions of Plains States residents.”
The Keystone decision also means that climate activists now can turn their resources to opposing the Dakota Access pipeline, another project that cuts through sensitive environmental and tribal lands. NPR reported: “Pipeline opponents are invigorated by the Keystone X-L decision, and hope for more wins. While the Dakota Access pipeline is moving oil out of North Dakota now, its future is uncertain because of court challenges that still haven't been resolved.”
To keep the clean energy momentum going, join this month’s Just Energy for All Strategy and Capacity Building Session held monthly by United Methodist Women on Wednesday, June 16 at 3 pm ET. This month's theme is "Advancing Just Energy, Advancing Health." Register today for UMW’s monthly Just Energy for All Strategy and Capacity Building sessions.
Vaccinations still key
From Bishop John Hopkins, interim episcopal leader of the Northern Illinois Conference:
“Vaccinations are still key to our future. Seventy-five of our churches stepped up in the last few weeks to be vaccination sites working with United Methodists across the state and the Illinois Department of Public Health to reach those in pockets of our communities who have not yet been vaccinated. We know that variants of COVID 19 continue to emerge and that it will be some months before our younger population of children will be eligible for vaccination. Vigilance is still our watch word as we resume more and more activities.”
Support for LGBTQ Rights Is High
Despite the wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation – especially anti-trans bills – put forth in state legislatures this year, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) reports that support for LGBTQ rights is high among U.S. citizens. A PRRI newsletter reports:
“In honor of the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, LGBTQ Americans and allies across the nation celebrate LGBTQ pride during the month of June. PRRI’s Mackenzie Boughey examines recent data on LGBTQ support in the U.S. including rising support for LGBTQ causes among those who lean to the political right. PRRI data shows that majorities of Republicans (62%) support laws that protect LGBTQ citizens from discrimination. Among those who are conservative, nearly six in ten Republicans (59%) support the laws. More than half of conservatives (51%) and Republicans (51%) say they support same-sex marriage.”
Media Mentions as of June 10, 2021
Justice Department says it can 'vigorously' defend religious schools' exemption from anti-LGBTQ ... Washington Post*
Liberia: Ministry Of Education, Methodist Church Remain Mum On Expulsion Of Teenager – Front Page Africa
How do we talk to young people about Israel and the Palestinians? – Religion News Service
Pressure mounts for an independent investigation of SBC Executive Committee handling of abuse – Religion News Service
The Fight for the Heart of the Southern Baptist Convention – The New Yorker*
*Paid subscription required.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.