Students Plan Keystone XL and Fracking Protest for Obama’s Visit to Ohio State University

During his visit to Ohio State University this Thursday, climate actvists will push President Obama to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and stop “extreme energy” projects like the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and fracking, a controversial method for extracting natural gas that is threatening the Buckeye State.

“We’re in the middle of the hottest spring week America has ever seen,” said 350.org founder Bill McKibben who has led protests against Keystone XL. “It makes it ironic almost to the point of parody that the president is still lauding pipelines and drilling rigs alongside solar panels and advanced batteries, as if all forms of energy were equally benign.”

The fights against Keystone XL and fracking have helped mobilize an increasingly active grassroots movement across Ohio. Last October, more than 400 students met in Cleveland for Midwest Power Shift, a conference dedicated to mobilizing young climate activists. 

As Bill has said before, while we are determined to defend their Keystone XL victory we’re also looking at ways to go on the offensive, particularly around the issue of fossil fuel subsidies.

“In the end, our politicians tend to follow the wishes of the richest industry on earth,” said Bill. “So we’re going to have to go head on against that industry, and try to take away some of their special privileges.”