Hundreds in Los Angeles Protest Climate Change, North Dakota Pipeline

Reuters

LOS ANGELES, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Hundreds of people gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday to protest against climate change and show support for activists demonstrating against the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota.

Several Hollywood stars, including Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon, were among the more than 800 people who attended the climate rally in MacArthur Park. Rallygoers carried signs urging to "shut it all down now" and chanted slogans like "water is life."

"Not only is it an environmental, but it's a problem in terms of social justice," Sarandon told the rally. "We can do it. We can stop fracking. We can stop the pipeline. But really it's only because of great numbers of people."

Also among celebrity attendees was actress Shailene Woodley, who earlier this month was arrested in North Dakota while protesting the planned pipeline in an incident that was live-streamed on Facebook.

In North Dakota, more than 80 protesters were arrested on Saturday after clashing with police near a pipeline construction site, according to the local sheriff's department, which pepper sprayed demonstrators.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and environmental activists have been protesting construction of the 1,100-mile (1,886-km) pipeline in North Dakota for several months, saying it threatens the water supply and sacred sites.

The pipeline, being built by a group of companies led by Energy Transfer Partners LP, would be the first to bring Bakken shale from North Dakota directly to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Supporters say the pipeline would provide a safer and more cost-effective way to transport Bakken shale to the U.S. Gulf than by road or rail.

There were no reports of arrests at the Los Angeles rally, where demonstrators assembled into the evening decrying climate change, hydraulic fracturing and oil pipelines as a threat to the safety of future generations.

"I'd rather walk miles today to protest the building of the pipeline than have my children walk miles to get clean water in the future," 22-year-old college student Steffany Urrea said.

(Reporting by Olga Grigoryants; Writing by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Sandra Maler)



WHAT DO YOU THINK?


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Bill Flaherty  |  October 25, 2016
As they hold up big blue plastic signs.
David Thompson  |  October 25, 2016
Maybe these twits dont know that the Los Angeles basin is a really big oilfield and that they drive by buildings holding pump-jacks and drilling rigs every day and that a lot of the streets have pipelines underneath. Then they can go down and look at Signal Hill down by Long Beach. The stuff the protesters are [complaining] about is land the tribe sold off over 100 years ago after they got it under treaty. They have no legal claim, have never disputed sales over 100 years and now it is supposedly theirs?
Randy Verret  |  October 24, 2016
It is very unfortunate how this Dakota Access is playing out. The environmental activists are seizing on the fact that these large infrastructure projects, especially pipelines, are critical to industry and can garner wide media attention. So, Energy Transfer Partners goes through a valid permitting process and a federal judge (initially) denies the Standing Rock Sioux injunctive relief, only to be stalled by a joint agency proclamation. Why does this matter? Well, if you expect folks in private industry to continue to risk shareholders money, they need some CERTAINTY as to the permitting & legal systems, otherwise this looks like any other Banana Republic where you dont have any confidence in what rules you can relay on. As for Susan Sarandin & Mark Ruffalo, they along with their activists friends have little to no knowledge of facts, legal process or any constructive alternatives. Keep it in the Ground? OK, then I say Leave your Limo in the Garage...
Steve G  |  October 24, 2016
why dont the stars protest the mess in their own back yard, east of LA has been an environmental disaster for decades, yet no starts are protesting there...guess it isnt sexy enough or can get close ups so their faces are in the news...but if you want to clean things up you always start at home...


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