In the Lone Star state, opponents of the project are chaining themselves to machinery, filing lawsuits, and gathering en masse outside the Whole Foods flagship store.



On Sunday, as more than 30,000 people rallied in Washington, D.C., 300 gathered in Austin, Texas. Their goal: to send President Obama a message to stop construction of the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline and to not approve the northern segment.

Chris Wilson, an organizer with Stop Tar Sands Oil Pipeline (STOP), pointed out, "Many don't realize it but The Keystone 1 pipeline has been built. It runs from Canada to Oklahoma and is already transporting tar sands into America." In 2012, President Obama signed off on the southern portion, insuring that tar sands have a path to the Gulf -- regardless of his decision on the northern segment, which would create a shorter route from Canada to Oklahoma.

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Even if Obama blocks the Northern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline, say the protestors, the problems presented by the existing pipeline won't go away. On Sunday, they rallied outside the Whole Foods flagship store in Austin, chanting, "Obama sold out Texas!" and "Think outside the barrel!" (The protest location was chosen in response to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who recently downplayed the issue of climate change: "So -- it's gotten a little bit warmer. I guess my position on it is that I don't think that's that big a deal.")