Video: Bill McKibben on Obama's Decision to Fast-Track the Keystone XL

This video from democracynow.org addresses President Obama's announcement that he is seeking to expedite the building of the southern portion of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas. This video includes an interview with 350.org's Bill McKibben. The pipeline approval comes two months after Obama rejected a proposal for the 1,300-mile Keystone XL pipeline from the Alberta tar sands oil fields to Texas after large protests by environmental groups. It also comes at a time when much of the nation is experiencing a heat wave that some scientists and meteorologists have linked to climate change. Spring only began on Tuesday, but it has felt like summer this week throughout much of the Northeast, Midwest and parts of Canada. Record temperatures have been recorded in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Buffalo and many other cities and towns. Some 36 states set daily high temperature records last Thursday.

State Department Hearings for the Keystone XL Pipeline

On September 26th, the State Department began a series of hearings on the Keystone XL pipeline. Two very different views were expressed at public meetings in two states on Monday. People in Kansas criticized the Keystone XL pipeline for being environmentally destructive, while people in Texas praised the pipeline.