On February 3, protest vigils were held across the country following the State Department’s release of the final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Keystone XL pipeline. The protests included thousands of demonstrators urging the president to keep his word in the fight against climate change and reject the controversial pipeline. In the Bay Area rallies were held in many cities, including Oakland, Palo Alto, and Santa Cruz.

In Palo Alto, poetry, song, and dance enlivened the Lytton Plaza event. A singer performed a ballad she wrote for the occasion, inspiring two of the seven Raging Grannies who attended to burst into an impromptu lyrical dance interpretation. One speaker waxed poetic about the fate of whales, while others cited statistical evidence for concerns related to the oil pipeline.

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. Activists in both Canada and the U.S. are trying to stop the pipeline from endangering communities along the proposed pipeline route. The February 3 event featured actions in over 300 cities nationwide, and the campaign was led by CREDO, Rainforest Action Network, the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and 350.org, among a host of other organizations.

Palo Alto Coverage: Palo Alto Joins XL Pipeline Protests

Santa Cruz Coverage: Santa Cruz Joins Nationwide Vigils to Protest Keystone XL Pipeline | Keystone XL Protest in Santa Cruz

See Also: Thousands Urge Obama to Reject Keystone XL at Vigils Across the Nation