Andy Burt, of Edgecomb, and Fran Ludwig, a part-time resident of Damariscotta, were arrested in Washington DC, Aug. 21, during an organized protest against a proposed pipeline that would bring Canadian tar sands-extracted crude petroleum to refineries in Texas.
They joined over 2000 people who took part in the protest from Aug. 20 through Sept. 3. Some 1250 people were arrested over the two-week span.
Burt and Ludwig became good friends after connecting through a ride board organizing trips down to Washington DC. Like many drawn to the protests, both are concerned with the plan’s contribution toward climate change.
“We asked ourselves, do we just rollover, or do we take a stand?” said Ludwig, who has taken part in environmental advocacy since the first Earth Day in 1970.
Burt, who has worked “24/7” on climate change education through efforts in schools and congregations, said they needed to take global warming advocacy to the next level with civil disobedience.
Protestors took their message to the White House, setting up shop in front of the North Portico. Climate change advocates joined those concerned about the project’s potential effects on ground water and Native American lands.
Burt and Ludwig arrived in Washington on the night of Aug. 20, expecting to get arrested when they joined the protests the next day. Sixty-five people were arrested on the first day, including protest leader and Vermont activist Bill McKibben.
According to Burt, the protest was designed to be a peaceful example of civil disobedience. Prior to attending the demonstration Aug. 21, Burt and Ludwig attended training at a local church to properly prepare themselves for peaceful protest.
“[The demonstration] was extremely peaceful, dignified,” Burt said, “There was a tremendous sense of community.”
Burt says the United States Park Police gave the protestors three warnings before moving in for arrests.
After the third warning the area became a crime scene, Burt said. Yellow tape was dragged around the protest site as paddy wagons moved in.
The protestors were charged with failing to obey a police order, Burt said.
Burt said that each arrestee was patted down, cuffed with wrist bands, and put inside a paddy wagon. Women were arrested first.
“They had a system down,” Burt said. She still wears the blue wrist band, marked “#17”, that signified her arrest.
According to the Washington DC Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, District statutes forbid protestors from blocking vehicle or pedestrian traffic on a public thoroughfare. Those found in violation of the statute must leave when asked by police.
After being booked, processed, and fined $100, Ludwig and Burt were then released. They returned to Maine Aug. 22.
The protesters assembled daily throughout the two-week protest, except during Hurricane Irene; Burt said the protestors didn’t want to distract the police during an emergency.
The 1700-mile, $7 billion pipeline, nicknamed Keystone XL, is particularly controversial because it utilizes a relatively new type of petroleum, called bitumen, extracted from oil sands. The petroleum extracted from the sands is very crude, acidic oil and must be extracted using more energy intensive processes than petroleum from traditional fields. The longer refining process is said to create three to four times the amount of greenhouse gases.
Opponents of the pipeline also contend that the project could have potentially disastrous effects on ground water and plant and wildlife habitats. Though TransCanada, the builder of the pipeline, says it will take measures to prevent oil leaks, critics contend that these promises often ring hollow: A recent ExxonMobil pipeline leak dumped over 1000 barrels of oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River.
Critics also say that the oil may not even be used for domestic consumption. Ludwig says that energy companies, once they refine the crude oil, could turn around and export it.
“It’s for anyone who pays the highest price,” Ludwig said.
Supporters of the project contend that thousands of jobs would be created, a particular sticking point with the Obama administration in an economy with unemployment stubbornly hovering about 9 percent.
The Canadian government, which strongly supports the plan, said the pipeline would create 120,000 jobs. Supporters also say that importing more oil from Canada, which is already the United States’ largest oil partner, would reduce America’s reliance on energy from “hostile” countries.
If completed, the Keystone XL pipeline will be the longest such structure outside of China and Russia. Construction is slated to begin in 2013 if the Obama administration gives the plan the green light.
President Obama is expected to make a final decision on the project later in the year. The State Department has already released a report supporting the pipeline, saying the environmental affects would be minimal and issues affecting Indian American cultural resources would be addressed.
The plan is still pending a review by the EPA and other federal agencies.
Burt and Ludwig agree Obama faces a difficult choice between placating a Democratic constituency key to his reelection and convincing the American people that he is doing everything in his power to create jobs.
“I don’t envy his position, “Burt said.
Both Burt and Ludwig, however, expect Obama to make what they believe is the “right” choice.
“People are waiting for him to take a stand,” Ludwig said.
While Ludwig says she will most likely vote for Obama in the next election, Burt remains undecided.
“I would have to think about it,” she said, “I’m on the fence.”
