

For Immediate Release, March 3, 2014 Contact: Valerie Love, (510) 274-9713 Rap Video, Social Media Ads Aim to Rally 50,000 Young People Against Keystone XL President Urged to Reject Keystone Pipeline, Tackle Climate Crisis WASHINGTON— In the wake of this weekend’s massive youth-led rally against the Keystone XL pipeline at the White House, the Center for Biological Diversity today released a new rap video as part of a campaign to get college-age students in all 50 states to speak out against the disastrous pipeline. The Center is also advertising the video on Reddit, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, with a goal of gathering more than 50,000 public comments from youth in the final week before the State Department’s March 7 deadline for public comments. “If it’s built, Keystone XL will leave a bleak legacy for young people and future generations as they struggle with the effects of climate change and the extinction crisis,” said Valerie Love, the Center’s anti-Keystone campaigner. “We know young people are engaged on this issue and understand the stakes. The question now is whether the Obama administration will listen.” The video features the Center’s Frostpaw the Polar Bear, who has brought his “No Keystone” message to dozens of President Obama’s fundraisers and other events, including the president’s summer vacation in Martha’s Vineyard and his winter vacation in Hawaii. “This video is fun and quirky but comes with a hard-hitting message about the dangers of Keystone XL,” Love said. “We hope it will help sway the hearts and minds of Americans — and ultimately of President Obama.” Background

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would carry, every day, up to 35 million gallons of oil strip-mined from Canada’s “tar sands” — some of the dirtiest fuels on the planet. The 1,700-mile, Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline would cross the heart of the Midwest and deliver oil to the Gulf of Mexico, where much of it would be exported to other countries. Along the way the pipeline would cut through rivers, streams, and prime wildlife habitat for at least 20 imperiled species, including whooping cranes and pallid sturgeon. Scientists say two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will disappear by 2050 if climate change is left unchecked. Dr. James Hansen, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, says the Keystone XL pipeline would be “game over” for avoiding the worst effects of the climate crisis. Learn more at www.NoKeystone.org. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 675,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.