Climate change activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was one of dozens arrested Wednesday in front of the White House during a protest against completion of the massive Keystone XL pipeline project.
Before being taken into custody, Mr. Kennedy, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, urged President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry to stop the proposed Canada-to-Texas pipeline project.
“The science is clear. Climate change is not just an economic issue, it is a moral issue. I do not believe that Keystone XL will happen,” Mr. Kennedy said. “I believe that President Obama and Secretary Kerry will do the right thing. And we need to show our support.”
Wednesday’s protest was described by the NRDC as “civil disobedience” and is the precursor to a much larger climate change rally planned for Sunday. Thousands of demonstrators are expected to crowd the National Mall, voice opposition to the pipeline and urge Mr. Obama to take strong action to fight global warming.
The president in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night promised to take executive action to address climate change if Congress doesn’t cooperate.
Meanwhile, Republicans, business and even labor groups continue to pressure the White House to approve the pipeline, which would bring fuel from Canadian oil sands south through the U.S. to Gulf Coast refineries, and create thousands of jobs in the process.
The administration isn’t expected to make a decision on the project until the summer.
