>>> A DECADE AGO IN 2011,
NOVEMBER, THOUSANDS OF ACTIVISTS
SURROUNDED THE WHITE HOUSE TO
URGE PRESIDENT OBAMA TO BLOCK
CONSTRUCTION OF AN OIL PEMBROKE
PINES LINE CALLED KEYSTONE XL.
KEYSTONE XL WOULD HAVE PIPED
CANADIAN TAR SANDS OIL ALL THE
WAY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
FROM CANADA, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO
THE GULF OF MEXICO.
THAT SURROUNDING THE WHITE
HOUSE, THAT WAS THE CULMINATION
OF A SUMMER OF PROTESTS OUTSIDE
THE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE.
OVER 1,000 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED
IN THOSE DEMONSTRATIONS.
BILL McKIB ENEN WAS AMONG THOSE
ARRESTED.
FOUR DAYS AFTER THE BIG NOVEMBER
SURROUND-THE-WHITE HOUSE
PROTESTS THAT HE HELPED
ORGANIZE, PRESIDENT OBAMA
ANNOUNCED HE WOULD AT LEAST
DELAY A DECISION ON APPROVALS
FOR THAT PIPELINE.
HE WOULD DELAY CONSIDERATION
OVER A YEAR.
AFTER THAT "THE BOSTON GLOBE"
PUBLISHED A PROFILE OF HIM WITH
THIS TITLE.
THE MAN WHO CRUSHED THE KEYSTONE
XL PIPELINE.
YOU KNOW, AS FLATTERING AS THAT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN THAT HEADLINE
WAS A LITTLE PREMATURE.
THE FIGHT WOULD GO ON FOR
ANOTHER DECADE AS THE OIL
INDUSTRY AND THEIR MANY ALLIES
IN CONGRESS PULLED OUT THE STOPS
THEY COULD TO TRY TO GET THE
THING APPROVED.
IT WASNT UNTIL LATE 2015, THE
VERY END OF HIS PRESIDENCY,
PRESIDENT OBAMA FINALLY
ANNOUNCED HE WOULD, IN FACT,
BLOCK THAT PIPELINE.
BUT THEN, OF COURSE, THE
FOLLOWING YEAR THE U.S. ELECTED
A VERY DIFFERENT PRESIDENT WHO
MADE A BIG SHOW OF REVIVING THE
PIPELINE IN HIS FIRST WEEK IN
OFFICE AND, IN FACT,
CONSTRUCTION STARTED UP LAST
YEAR IN 2020.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED IN 2020?
JOE BIDEN WON THE PRESIDENCY AND
OUSTED DONALD TRUMP, AND ON
BIDENS VERY FIRST DAY IN OFFICE
HE CANCELLED THE PERMIT FOR THAT
PIPELINE.
AND WHILE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A
DEFINITIVE THING HONESTLY IT SET
OFF WHAT EVERYBODY EXPECTED TO
BE A WHOLE OTHER ROUND OF YEARS
OF FIGHTING OVER THIS THING.
BUT THEN TODAY THIS LIGHTNING
BOLT FINALLY ARRIVED.
A DECADE IN THE MAKING.
THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE IS
OFFICIALLY DEAD, DEAD.
THE COMPANY THAT WAS BUILDING
THE PIPELINE SAID TODAY IT IS
PULLING THE PLUG.
IT IS NOT GOING TO TRY ANYMORE.
THEY SAID THEY WILL WORK WITH
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, QUOTE, TO
ENSURE A SAFE TERMINATION OF AND
EXIT FROM THE PROJECT.
TONIGHT BILL McKIBBEN SAID THIS
ON LINE, JUST A REMINDER THAT
TEN YEARS AGO THIS SUMMER WHEN
MASS ARRESTS BEGAN IN THE
KEYSTONE FIGHT 93% OF INSIDERS
SAID THE PROJECT WOULD BE
APPROVED.
TODAY TC ENERGY, THE PIPELINE
COMPANY, THREW IN THE TOWEL FOR
GOOD.
HE CLOSED BY SAYING, NEVER, EVER
GIVE UP.
JOINING US NOW IS BILL McKIBBEN,
CLIMATE EXPERT, ONE OF THE
FOUNDERS OF THE GRASSROOTS
CAMPAIGN, 350.org.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING TIME.
>> WHAT A PLEASURE.
LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING I DID NOT
CRUSH THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE.
THIS FIGHT BEGAN WITH INDIGENOUS
GROUPS AND RANCHERS ACROSS THE
MIDWEST AND INVOLVED MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE, PERHAPS AS MANY AS ANY
ENVIRONMENTAL FIGHT IN AMERICAN
HISTORY.
WHAT IT REALLY DOES IS SHOW THAT
NOW THERES A POSSIBILITY OF
BEATING THESE OTHER THINGS JUST
LIKE THAT LINE THREE FIGHT YOU
WERE DESCRIBING A MINUTE AGO.
>> WELL, LET ME ASK YOU ASIDE
FROM PERSISTENCE, I MEAN
CORRECTLY NOTING TODAY THIS WAS
TEN YEARS PLUS OF WORK BY ALL OF
THE PEOPLE YOU WERE JUST
DESCRIBING, AND SO MANY OF THEM.
OTHER THAN PERSISTENCE, WHAT WAS
THE SECRET TO SUCCESS HERE?
>> WELL, THERE WERE MANY.
PART OF IT WAS THE REAL HUGE
COALITION OF PEOPLE THAT CAME
TOGETHER.
AS I SAID, INDIGENOUS GROUPS,
FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES IN THE
LEAD, FARMERS AND RANCHERS BUT
ALSO CLIMATE SCIENTISTS.
JIM HANSON EARLY ON, OUR
GREATEST CLIMATE SCIENTIST, SAID
IF WE PUMP THE TAR SANDS DRY IT
IS GAME OVER FOR THE CLIMATE,
AND THAT HELPED PEOPLE BEGIN TO
UNDERSTAND THAT WE REALLY WERE
GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE FOSSIL
FUEL IN THE GROUND.
THIS KEYSTONE PIPE WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST MOMENTS WHEN THAT KIND
OF KEEP-IT-IN-THE-GROUND MESSAGE
BEGAN TO EMERGE AND NOW IT IS AT
THE HEART OF SO MANY BATTLES
THAT ARE UNDERWAY.
WHAT WAS SPECIAL HERE WAS
THAT -- AND THE REASON
CORRECTLY, I THINK, THAT ALL OF
THE EXPERTS SAID WE KNEW THIS
WAS THAT BIG OIL HAD NEVER LOST
A PIPE LIKE THIS.
YOU REMEMBER 2013 EXXON WAS
STILL THE BIGGEST COMPANY ON
PLANET EARTH.
YOU KNOW, BIG OIL WAS STILL ALL
POWERFUL AND YET PEOPLE WERE
WILLING TO TAKE THEM ON, WILLING
TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAD A CHANCE.
BECAUSE OF THAT GREAT ORGANIZING
THAT SO MANY PEOPLE DID FROM SO
MANY VANTAGE POINTS, YOU KNOW,
THE EMERGENCE OF -- REMEMBER, WE
WERE TALKING TONIGHT ABOUT THE
FACT THAT JULIAN BOND, THE GREAT
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, THE LAST
TIME HE GOT ARRESTED BEFORE HIS
DEATH WAS OUTSIDE THE WHITE
HOUSE, OUTSIDE THE OBAMA WHITE
HOUSE PROTESTING THE KEYSTONE
PIPELINE.
THERE WERE PEOPLE FROM EVERY
KIND OF COMMUNITY.
IT BECAME A BIG, BROAD FIGHT
THAT BROUGHT THE ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE MOVEMENT TOGETHER IN A
WAY THAT WE HAVENT SEEN BEFORE,
BUT THAT HAS CONTINUED NOW.
YOU KNOW, I WAS OUT IN MINNESOTA
EARLIER THIS WEEK, YOU KNOW,
BACKING UP THE INDIGENOUS
LEADERS THAT WERE OCCUPYING THAT
LAND ALONG THE HEAD WATERS OF
THE MISSISSIPPI.
IF OBAMAS CLIMATE TEST WAS
KEYSTONE, BIDENS IS PROBABLY
GOING TO BE LINE THREE
BECAUSE -- AND HERE IS THE
THING.
OBAMA SAID THAT WE WOULDNT HAVE
THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE BECAUSE IT
COULDNT PASS A CLIMATE TEST.
LINE THREE IS EXACTLY THE SAME
SIZE, ABOUT 800,000 BARRELS A
DAY, AND IT CARRIES EXACTLY THE
SAME STUFF, TAR SANDS CRUDE.
SO IF KEYSTONE COULDNT PASS
CLIMATE TEST, THERES NO WAY SIX
YEARS LATER AFTER WEVE HAD THE
HOTTEST TEMPERATURE EVER
RECORDED, THE BIGGEST FOREST
FIRES EVER RECORDED, THE BIGGEST
HURRICANE SEASON EVER RECORDED,
AFTER WEVE HAD THE PARIS
CLIMATE ACCORDS, THERES NO WAY
THAT ANYBODY WITH A STRAIGHT