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Neil Young, Rueben George and Daryl Hannah fire up crowd at anti-Keystone XL protest in Washington

"You can't put a price on the sacred," George told the crowd. "You can't put a price on where we come from, and where our teachings come from. The earth is here forever."

Photos by Mark Hefflinger/Bold Nebraska

Musician Neil Young and Rueben George, Sundance Chief from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, rallied protesters in Washington, D.C. today against the Keystone XL pipeline. 

"You can't put a price on the sacred," George told the crowd. "You can't put a price on where we come from, and where our teachings come from. The earth is here forever." George, whose people's traditional territory is the Burrard Inlet, has been an active campaigner against both Keystone XL and the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion in Burnaby. 


Photo of Rueben George ©Garth Lenz / iLCP

They were joined by Kill Bill actress Daryl Hannah, who went to jail in 2012 for helping a 78-year-old Texas landowner obstruct construction of the Keystone XL pipeline on her property.

 

Photos by Mark Hefflinger/Bold Nebraska 

The rally was a culmination of the "Reject and Protect" protest against the controversial pipeline project, which would bring diluted bitumen from Alberta to refineries in the Gulf Coast.

Led by the Cowboy and Indian Alliance — an alliance of ranchers, farmers and tribal communities from along the Keystone XL pipeline route — the protesters arrived on horseback in Washington at the beginning of the week.

The pipeline, which claims to create "thousands" of new jobs (35 permanent jobs, according to a State Department analysis), has been heavily pushed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the U.S. Republican Party, and some Democrats. However, prominent climate scientists and environmental groups have urged the rejection of the project due to its potential to accelerate oil sands production and aggravate climate change. 

After the rally, the Cowboy and Indian Alliance led a march through the streets of D.C. to the National Museum of the American Indian, where a ceremony was held to gift a tipi in honour of the President. 

So far, Obama has delayed a decision and resisted pressure from both parties to approve the project. 

Photos by Mark Hefflinger/Bold Nebraska 






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