The Keystone XL
Pipeline, fracking and the Koch brothers came under fire at a rally held in
Wichita, Saturday afternoon. Activist from Kansas and Oklahoma came to address
a crowd of about 75 people although that number changed from hour to hour.
“The Koch brothers are the two most dangerous people on the planet,” said Earl Hatley, Clean Energy Oklahoma, Native American Indian activist and Sierra Club member, who was one of the speakers Saturday. “Those two are cooking the planet. They’re getting filthy rich and that won’t help you when you’re dead.”
He added they can’t take it with them.
“We have to get on the Koch brothers,” Hatley said. “This isn’t politics. We have to take to the streets.”
He indicated he had little faith in the present political system for making change.
“Who cares who gets elected,” Hatley said. He added that people don’t have time to wait for politicians to get ready to care about the environment. The problem called for immediate action.
As Hatley spoke on, he mentioned the Greenland ice sheet and how fast it is presently melting.
“Some of these people (the Kochs and other conservatives) want to go there after the ice melts and look for minerals,” Hatley explained.
Other speakers followed raising a lot of points about the XL Pipeline and the tar sands that politicians are trying to allow to be piped from Canada to ports on the U.S. coasts of such states as Texas. The tar sands need to go through an extensive process before it can be used as fuel. Most of it will be turned into diesel and all of it will be sold in other countries. That is because it will be too expensive for the US markets.
“So far there have been no jobs created for the workers of Oklahoma,” said Yvonne Cather, chair of the Oklahoma, Sierra Club. “The Keystone XL Pipeline will create very few jobs.”
Other speakers also talked about fracking. According to the Ohio Environmental Council:
Relatively new drilling technology - high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) - now makes it possible to reach natural gas reserves…
Hydraulic fracturing is the use of sand, water, and chemicals injected at high pressures to blast open shale rock and release the trapped gas inside. Horizontal drilling (also called "directional drilling") is just like it sounds: after the well drill reaches a certain vertical depth in the ground, the well is then drilled horizontally.
“They are disturbing the land,” said Sue Morningstar, a Native American Indian, a warrior for mother earth. “I want a future for my children, their children, their children’s children and their children’s children.”
Although the crowd was smaller than expected, there was a lot of enthusiasm for those who poke. The environment is one of the most important issues of this time period.
“The Koch brothers are the two most dangerous people on the planet,” said Earl Hatley, Clean Energy Oklahoma, Native American Indian activist and Sierra Club member, who was one of the speakers Saturday. “Those two are cooking the planet. They’re getting filthy rich and that won’t help you when you’re dead.”
He added they can’t take it with them.
“We have to get on the Koch brothers,” Hatley said. “This isn’t politics. We have to take to the streets.”
He indicated he had little faith in the present political system for making change.
“Who cares who gets elected,” Hatley said. He added that people don’t have time to wait for politicians to get ready to care about the environment. The problem called for immediate action.
As Hatley spoke on, he mentioned the Greenland ice sheet and how fast it is presently melting.
“Some of these people (the Kochs and other conservatives) want to go there after the ice melts and look for minerals,” Hatley explained.
Other speakers followed raising a lot of points about the XL Pipeline and the tar sands that politicians are trying to allow to be piped from Canada to ports on the U.S. coasts of such states as Texas. The tar sands need to go through an extensive process before it can be used as fuel. Most of it will be turned into diesel and all of it will be sold in other countries. That is because it will be too expensive for the US markets.
“So far there have been no jobs created for the workers of Oklahoma,” said Yvonne Cather, chair of the Oklahoma, Sierra Club. “The Keystone XL Pipeline will create very few jobs.”
Other speakers also talked about fracking. According to the Ohio Environmental Council:
Relatively new drilling technology - high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) - now makes it possible to reach natural gas reserves…
Hydraulic fracturing is the use of sand, water, and chemicals injected at high pressures to blast open shale rock and release the trapped gas inside. Horizontal drilling (also called "directional drilling") is just like it sounds: after the well drill reaches a certain vertical depth in the ground, the well is then drilled horizontally.
“They are disturbing the land,” said Sue Morningstar, a Native American Indian, a warrior for mother earth. “I want a future for my children, their children, their children’s children and their children’s children.”
Although the crowd was smaller than expected, there was a lot of enthusiasm for those who poke. The environment is one of the most important issues of this time period.
Pix from ProPublica.
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