Media Advisory, May 5, 2014

Contact: Valerie Love, (510) 274-9713

"Keystone Is Goofy" Protest to Greet President Obama at Bel Air Fundraiser

President Urged to Reject Keystone Pipeline, Address Climate Crisis

LOS ANGELES— Climate activists on Wednesday will greet President Obama at a fundraiser hosted at the Los Angeles home of a Disney executive. The Disney-themed rally urging the president to reject the Keystone XL pipeline will include an activist dressed as Goofy, participants wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and Frostpaw the Polar Bear.

What: “Keystone is Goofy” rally urging President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline.

Where: Meet at De Neve Square Park, 314 Beverly Glen Blvd, Los Angeles, 90077 

When: Wednesday, May 7, 5 p.m.

Who: Local residents, Center for Biological Diversity, 350.org, So Cal Climate Action Coalition 350, Tar Sands Action Southern California.

Visuals and Interviews: Goofy, activists wearing Mickey ears and carrying signs, and Frostpaw the Polar Bear will be available for photos, filming and media interviews.

Background
The U.S. State Department recently extended the review process for Keystone XL, primarily due to a lawsuit filed by Nebraskan landowners challenging the pipeline route approval process in their state. The lawsuit has left foreign oil company TransCanada without a legal route for Keystone XL through Nebraska.

“Americans from coast to coast understand the terrible cost that Keystone XL will exact on people, wildlife and the health of our planet. It’s time for President Obama to follow their lead and reject Keystone XL,” said the Center’s Valerie Love. “The communities that will be affected most by this pipeline don’t want it, their allies across the nation don’t want it, and it is known that the pipeline and tar sands oil will continue to exacerbate the already-threatening effects of climate change.”

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would, every day, carry up to 35 million gallons of oil strip-mined from Canada’s “tar sands” — some of the dirtiest fuels on the planet. The 1,700-mile, Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline would cross the heart of the Midwest and deliver oil to the Gulf of Mexico, where much of it would be exported to other countries. Along the way the pipeline would cut through rivers, streams and prime wildlife habitat for at least 20 imperiled species, including whooping cranes and pallid sturgeon. Dr. James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, says the Keystone XL pipeline would be “game over” for avoiding the worst effects of the climate crisis.

Learn more at NoKeystone.org.


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