Olympics slammed over BP sponsorship

Dear Brilliant People,

Did you know BP is ‘Sustainability Partner’ of the London 2012 Olympics?! It’s Beyond Parody. Now that we’ve recovered from the shock (which took a while) we’ve joined with a large posse of amazing folk to express our outrage. It’s in today’s Guardian! More below.

Meanwhile, two of the current biggest tar sands battles in the world have had a rollercoaster week. US Senators are trying to resurrect the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Obama rejected only a couple of weeks ago, so our friends across the pond mobilised 800,000 signatures against this in just 24 hours. Incredible!

But it doesn’t stop there. The EU is finally going to vote on whether to put tar sands into the Fuel Quality Directive. Next week. More on that below including a really important action you can take.

1. Olympics slammed over BP sponsorship
2. Stop the oil orgy! EU vote next week
3. International Stop the Tar Sands Day
4. Thank you!!

Love not shady sponsorship deals,

Jess, Sue and Emily

1. Olympics slammed over BP sponsorship
Today, we sent an open letter to the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics, raising a wide range of concerns about BP’s sponsorship. We’re really excited about how many others signed the letter along with us – NGOs, indigenous organisations, Gulf Coast residents, academics, activists, even a London Assembly member!

So the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down. How will the Olympic organisers respond? We’ll keep you posted…

2. Stop the oil orgy! EU vote next week
On February 23rd (next week!) the Fuel Quality Directive will finally be voted on in the European Union. Canada has been engaged in an unprecedented lobby blitz to undermine the Directive, and put the interests of Big Oil ahead of effective climate policy. And they have persuaded the UK to take their side. So on Valentine’s Day, Oxford shoppers were treated to a sultry and sticky ‘oil orgy’ street performance  to protest this inappropriate and seedy relationship. Massive props to the Lush crew for giving it their all.

The vote next week really could go either way, so please put pressure on Nick Clegg and Norman Baker to stop sabotaging the EU’s attempts to label tar sands as dirty fuel, with this e-action from People & Planet.

Also, our original ‘oil orgy’ at the Canada-Europe Energy Roundtable last autumn got another airing last night – in a documentary put together by Leah Borromeo on Channel 4′s Random Acts!

3. International Stop the Tar Sands Day
Last International Stop the Tar Sands Day (ISTSD) saw over 50 actions take place around the world, with London folk putting on a colourful spectacle outside the Canadian High Commission. This year the day has been announced for May 5th, and the UK branch of ISTSD needs a new coordinator, which could be you – or you and a group of your friends. If you’re interested in helping make this event even bigger and better than last year, email stoptarsands@ymail.eu. You’ll have plenty of support from other organisers in the EU as well as us here at UKTSN. You can also keep up to date with plans in the ISTSD facebook group.

4. Thank you!!
At the end of last year we asked if people could throw a little cash our way and we were overwhelmed by your generosity! So a big thank you to everyone that has given us money – and also to all of those tirelessly lobbying, tweeting, turning up to actions and taking off their clothes for the cause.

Calling all Foreign Radicals!

Dear Tar Troopers,

This week has seen an incredible wave of resistance from indigenous communities speaking out against the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline in Canada. Leaked documents have shown that the Harper government is responding by fighting dirty, and is blaming ‘foreign radicals’ for the terrible reputation the tar sands has got. Are you a foreign radical? If so, we want you to get more involved in the UK Tar Sands Network! Find out more below…

1. Enbridge hearings and Enemies of the State
2. Spread the resistance: become a Tar-Free Town
3. Join our team!
4. Solidarity action with the Beaver Lake Cree

See you on the frontlines,

Sue, Emily & Jess

1. Enbridge hearings and Enemies of the State

Since Obama gave Harper the cold shoulder last week on plans to send tar sands oil to the Gulf of Mexico via the Keystone XL Pipeline, all eyes have been on British Columbia. Public hearings are currently taking place on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, which will decide if tar sands oil will be pumped all the way through the vulnerable ecosystem of North-West Canada, then shipped in massive tankers across some of the roughest waters, to China. This monster project has united indigenous communities, local residents and environmentalists in opposition, and caused Joe Oliver, Canada’s Natural Resources Minister, to come out all guns blazing, accusing ‘foreign radicals’ of interfering in the hearings.

Yesterday, leaked government documents revealed that the Canadian government has declared First Nations, green groups and local and European media as ‘enemies of the state‘. Despite all this intimidation, First Nations communities are standing strong. 61 indigenous nations have signed onto the Save the Fraser Declaration opposing the pipeline, and are voicing their concerns proud and clear at the hearings. Stay tuned for updates on twitter and facebook!

2. Spread the resistance: become a Tar-Free Town

Whilst the battle rages in Canada, we have an increasingly important part to play. The work we have been doing in the UK has been instrumental in drawing international attention to the devious deeds of the Canadian Petrocracy and to amplify the concerns of impacted communities. We want to continue to build this tar-free community of transatlantic solidarity. We are working with green groups, student groups and transition communities around the UK to become ‘Tar-Free Towns’. If you or your local group wants to help keep the tar monster from spreading and stand in solidarity with people resisting the world’s dirtiest fuel on the frontlines, contact us and get involved. To find out more take a look at our shiny Tar-Free Towns website, share it around, see what has already been happening and get inspired about what you can do! We would love to come and run a workshop with you so get in touch at info@no-tar-sands.org.

3. Join our team!

Back at the ranch, the UKTSN family is growing! We are looking for a volunteer to join our small but feisty team. If you’re really passionate about taking on big oil, working in solidarity with communities and pulling off creative, audacious interventions, we might be just what you’ve been looking for! If you know someone who might be interested, please share our ad with them and please fling it around your networks.

4. Solidarity action with the Beaver Lake Cree

On another front, the Beaver Lake Cree’s court case against the Canadian government for repeated infringements of their Treaty Rights has reached a crucial point. To coincide with a hearing at which the Canadian government will attempt to kill off the case, People & Planet will be throwing down some street theatre outside the Canadian High Commission on Monday 30th January @ 11am. If you want to play a part email tarsands@peopleandplanet.org or join them there on the day!

Wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’…

Dear Tar Sands Troopers,

Since our last newsletter there has been an array of good, bad and confusing news. We’re waiting with bated breath the outcome of Keystone XL Pipeline and the EU Fuel Quality Directive – we will keep you updated as soon as news arrives.

It’s now coming to the end of a mammoth year of tar sands activism. Thanks to everyone who has helped fight the fight, be it by telling your neighbours about tar sands, withdrawing your funds from RBS, or putting your body in the way of the dominating powers. If you want a reminder of what we’ve been up to this year, have a look on our blog. Over the next few week we’ll still be on twitter and facebook so keep an eye out.

One more thing: tackling the tar monster costs money. With more help from our supporters we will be able to do bigger and better things: we are already planning our AGM attack strategy. We have just set up a new webpage with details of how to donate. The best Christmas present would be if people would set up regular donations, although one-off donations are much appreciated too. We don’t have a lot of dosh, and are experts at making the smallest amounts go a long way. If you’d rather offer your time, that would be equally amazing – just let us know.

The Good:
1. Shell faces legal challenge from Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
2. Tar Sands and bananas don’t mix

The Bad:
3. Canada pulls out of Kyoto
4. BP confirms sponsorship of cultural institutions

The Confusing:
5. Keystone victory muddied
6. FQD vote delayed – more time to continue the battle

We hope you all have a well-deserved break and are ready for a lot more tar-sands-ass-kicking next year!
Emily and Sue

1. Shell faces legal challenge from Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN)
On 30th November we served papers to Shell UK executives in solidarity with ACFN. The community is suing Shell for its failure to meet contractual agreements affecting ACFN traditional territory and Canada’s pristine Athabasca River. This action comes at significant risk to the community given that many are  employed by Shell and alternative means of employment are rare. The AFCN campaign not only seeks compensation  for the community, but to halt new Shell developments, undermining Shell’s tar sands portfolio and overall reputation. The assertion of Aboriginal treaty rights is a key opportunity to stop future tar sands developments, and from the UK we are providing as much support as we can for the community.

Keep up to date with the campaign on the community’s website and our new Shell campaign page.

2. Tar Sands and bananas don’t mix
Chiquita, a massive US banana company, has decided to stop using tar sands oil. We know this is a step in the right direction as it has put the wind up astroturf oil lobby front group ethicaloil.org who have started a new website calling for a boycott of the banana giant… A quick reminder, if you’d forgotten, TAR SANDS ARE NOT ETHICAL! Well done to Forest Ethics for their work on this case.

3. Canada pulls out of Kyoto
If the Durban climate talks weren’t depressing enough, Canada finished it off nicely with a smug withdrawal from any legally binding climate commitments under the next period of Kyoto. But there was some light-hearted relief at Durban when our friends from IEN gave delegates to the U.N. climate talks mock gift bags containing samples of fake tar sands along with tourism brochures for Canada and Canadian flags. And it does seem that the world is starting to wake up to Canada’s cover-up of the damage caused by tar sands.

4. BP confirms sponsorship of cultural institutions
More bad news came this week when BP confirmed another £10 million of funding for Britain’s leading arts institutions – with Tate Director Nicholas Serota claiming he’d “been thinking very hard” and “it was the right thing to continue with BP”.

However a hidden victory lies in just how contentious an issue oil sponsorship has now become, with the debate growing out of the fringes into the mainstream. BP’s sponsorship of the Olympics will become the major focus in coming months, with a coalition of groups challenging the hypocrisy of the climate tycoon’s fortuitous label as ‘Sustainability Partner’. We have begun dismantling their greenwash here and here. Art Not Oil is also coordinating a call-out for artistic responses to BP’s Olympic sponsorship.

5. Keystone victory muddied
In what was widely hailed as the environmental victory of the year, Obama decided to postpone the decision to build the Keystone XL pipeline until early 2013. But politics got in the way, with Obama deciding to sacrifice the Keystone delay to protect a tax-cut for low-to-middle-class Americans.

As the latest update from tarsandsaction.org explains:

“The Senate, with the White House’s consent, passed a payroll tax cut plan with a rider attached that would have forced a speedy review of Keystone. That sounds bad — except that administration spokesmen said quite bluntly that if they were forced to do a quick review they’d deny the permit.
That sounds good — except that now the Tea Party caucus in the House has decided they don’t want the payroll tax cut, and they do want the Senate to come back to DC for more talks, and…you get the drift. At least for the moment, Keystone is flotsam on the unchartable tides of DC politics.”

For now, there’s not a lot we can be doing, except wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’…

6. FQD vote delayed – more time to continue the battle
The Fuel Quality Directive – legislation that would strongly discourage tar sands from entering the UK – was meant to be voted on by member states on 5th December. For undisclosed reasons the vote was instead postponed until some time in February, giving both sides time to escalate their campaigns. The Canadian lobbying has continued with another Alberta minister heading here to promote tar sands, which we weren’t too happy about. On the other side, our friends at the Council of Canadians has been busy finding that despite their government’s whining, Canadians actually support the FQD!

In the UK, Norman Baker is still claiming to be an ‘environmentalist’ but refusing to support the current form of the FQD. Fellow Lib Dems Chris Davies MEP and Catherine Bearder MEP have been vocal in their criticism of Baker’s position. Anything you can do to keep the pressure on Baker is much appreciated, and of course we promise to keep you updated!

Pipe Dreams: Keystone delayed until 2013!

Dear Winners,

We know you just heard from us, but we have same amazing news! Not only have we found out that Pete and Emily have had their charges dropped for the Oil Orgy, we have also just heard that Obama has delayed the Keystone XL pipeline decision for over a year!

What a month it’s been for tar sands action: we’ve staged an orgy, quashed a propagandist, built a White House, delayed a pipeline, and unveiled our first Tar-Free Town! But there is always more to do: the battle of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) continues, with action heading to Baker’s local constituency in coming weeks.

Remember, as the IEA recently reminded us, we only have five years to stop building carbon intensive infrastructure if we want to stop runaway climate change. Tar sands are massively carbon-intensive, but also just massively massive: no matter how much they are ‘greened’, their sheer size poses a monumental threat to the climate. So if you’re involved in tar sands campaigning, or would like to be, drop us an email and we’ll see how we can provide support and publicity for your actions, or help you get started on a campaign.

1. Keystone pipeline update
2. Orgy charges dropped
3. FQD action in Lewes
4. People and Planet Beaver Lake Cree Exchange

Massive thanks for everyone’s hard work,

Sue and Emily

1. Keystone XL pipeline update

A culmination of months of action was reached on Sunday, when 10,000+ people gathered around the White House in DC to urge Obama to reject the proposed 1200-mile tar sands pipeline. On the same day we held a solidarity action by the US embassy where we surrounded our own miniature White House, built especially for us by the lovely Ellie. A great report by Tim is up on Indymedia.

What happened next was remarkable. The Obama administration announced yesterday it would carry out a further environmental review and research alternative routes for the pipeline, delaying any decision until early 2013. This is a great victory! The battle isn’t completely over, but as Bill McKibben points out, the pipeline (on any route) is unlikely to survive a proper environmental review, because, unlike the last assessment, this one “won’t be carried out by cronies of the pipeline company…it will be an expert and independent assessment.” Well done to all involved!

2. Orgy charges dropped

In other happy news, Emily and Pete, who were charged with criminal damage for spilling some molasses on some chairs and a table cloth during the ‘oil orgy’, have since had their charges dropped. The prosecution decided to discontinue to the case after friendly law firm Bindmans convinced them it was not in the public interest to prosecute.

3. FQD action in Lewes

Local action in the constituency of Norman Baker, the minister in charge of the UK’s position on the tar-sands-discouraging-FQD, will take place on Saturday 26th instead of tomorrow as originally planned. A ‘tar monster’ will roam the area and local residents will speak out against tar sands, urging Baker to remember his environmental credentials and stop working with Canada to block the EU legislation. This will contribute to the mounting national and international pressure against Baker to agree to the FQD. If you live near Lewes try and get along to this action – Baker’s constituency is a key area to target in this battle.

4. People & Planet Beaver Lake Cree Exchange

Wednesday evening saw an emotional event at Greenpeace in London, where Chance and Crystal spoke about the tar sands impacts on their community of Beaver Lake. If you missed this, there is still time to see them, and a host of other interesting speakers and workshops, at People & Planet’s Shared Planet event this weekend in Oxford.

Pipelines, Propaganda and Personal Stories

Dear Mini-White-House-Occupiers,

Momentum is building for the Tar Sands Action this Sunday. In the US, over 5,000 people have signed up to surround the White House to encourage Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. We’ve planned a miniature action in London – see below for details. While the pipeline is dominating the agenda in the US, here in Europe all eyes are still on the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) – important legislation discouraging tar sands oil from entering the EU, which is STILL being stalled by the UK. In other news, People and Planet’s Beaver Lake Cree Youth Exchange culminates next week with Crystal and Chance coming to talk at a variety of events around the UK.

1. Keystone Solidarity Action: Stop the Pipeline!
2. Challenging a tar sands propagandist
3. Fuel Quality Directive debate goes local
4. Chance and Crystal visit from Beaver Lake

Love and solidarity,

Emily and Sue

1. Keystone Solidarity Action: Stop the Pipeline!

This Sunday 6^th November, from 11am, we will surround our own miniature White House outside the US Embassy in London. The anti-pipeline movement in the US has been incredible and for the first time Obama has commented publicly on the issue, letting on that “my general attitude is, what is best for the American people? What’s best for our economy both short term and long term? But also, what’s best for the health of the American people?” It is now essential not only to support the protesters in Washington, but to show that as far away as Europe this pipeline is a matter of controversy – particularly as we face the possibility of future tar sands imports to Europe.  More details about the solidarity action on our website and facebook event.

2. Challenging a tar sands propagandist

Understandably, the FQD is a source of much dismay within the Canadian government, and the latest propagandist sent here to ‘fight’ it was Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver. Keen to not let him speak unopposed, we turned up with banners, critical questions, and a “Greenwash Propagandist of the Year Award” to present to the minister. As it was, the audience was so critical that we were met with a whole gang of tar-stoppers in the audience! This shows that word is getting out about tar sands and university students will not be convinced by government spin. Many thanks to People and Planet for their help in making this happen. Check out some excellent media coverage we received.

3. Fuel Quality Directive debate goes local

One of the key things for us to focus on in the next few weeks will be challenging Norman Baker, the minister responsible for the UK’s uncompromising position on the FQD.  The amazing people in his local constituency of Lewes have started to up the pressure to hold him accountable to his previous commitment in the community to the climate movement. A group of people attended his surgery, questioned him on the FQD, distributed Tar-Free-Lewes posters to Norman and held a protest outside.  A friend of Norman Baker’s writes her powerful version of events here, explaining how she feels personally let down by his moves to stall the FQD. We are planning further action in Lewes on November 12th.  If you would like to take part please contact us at the usual address info@no-tar-sands.org.

4. Chance and Crystal visit from Beaver Lake

People and Planet are hosting a visit from two young members of a community affected by tar sands. Chance and Crystal will be speaking at a variety of events, including in London on 9th November, at Shared Planet in Oxford on 12th November, and in Birmingham on 13th November. This will be a powerful opportunity to hear about the impacts of the tar sands industry on their environment, health and the treaty rights which are meant to protect their traditional ways of life. See you there!

Tar sands coming to the UK…?

Dear Bitumen Blockaders,

We have some very scary news: tar sands oil, while currently entering Europe at a mere trickle, may start gushing here a lot faster, and a lot sooner than we thought! Don’t panic – well, maybe panic a bit – but there is still some time to stop this.

And the good news? Following the epic White House protests earlier in the month, Canadians are now speaking out against tar sands more loudly than ever. It is truly inspiring to see people from all walks of life – activists, members of impacted First Nations, scientists, doctors, actors, writers, lawyers and many others – all heading to Ottawa to fight this destructive industry together.

1. Tar Sands on fast track to the UK?
2. Ottawa Action – today!
3. H2Oil Screening in Oxford
4. UKTSN hot on the Prime Minister’s trail

Love and minor hysteria,

Sue, Emily and Jess

1. Tar Sands on fast track to the UK?!

US company Valero has announced to its shareholders the explicit intention of bringing diesel from the Gulf Coast to the UK, while taking European gasoline back to the US. Valero’s Gulf Coast refinery is right at the end of the proposed Keystone pipeline; this would deposit unrefined tar sands syncrude at Valero’s doorstep, ready to refine and ship here. This is yet another reason why the battle against the Keystone XL pipeline is so important right now! Valero has just recently invested in various bits of infrastructure in the UK, including a refinery in Pembroke, Wales, and a thousand Texaco-branded petrol stations. There’s also no stopping other companies making similar plans given the EU has not yet implemented any effective legislation to ban tar sands.

This is all explained in more detail (including ideas on how to stop it!) in a separate blog post.

2. Ottawa Action – today!

As we write this, our friends in Canada are gearing up for a mass mobilisation against tar sands. Endorsed by dozens of organisations and individuals, the Ottawa action will see hundreds of people converge on Parliament, sending a clear message that Canadians do not want to see their government propping up the tar sands industry. Send your love and support, and keep an eye out for press coverage of the action. See the Ottawa action website and facebook pages as well as updates on our twitter.

3. H2Oil Screening in Oxford

October’s monthly OARC screening will be H2Oil, an excellent introduction to the problems surrounding tar sands. If you or anyone you know is in Oxford on October 2nd, please come along. The film is a real eye-opener, and will be followed by a discussion hosted by UKTSN. More info here.

4. UKTSN hot on the Prime Minister’s trail

PM David Cameron last week visited Ottawa to both address parliament and meet privately with Canada’s PM Harper. Not prepared to let this opportunity slide, we quickly released a statement highlighting the many inappropriate ways Canada has been meddling with EU politics, while the UK, for its part, is complicit in helping Canada push its agenda. Our statement was picked up by the Globe & Mail, who gave a good report of our position on the matter.

Pipeline Pressure Hots Up

Dear Pipeline Picketers,

The last month has seen a burst of action against the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, with 1,252 people arrested during two weeks of sit-ins in front of the White House. Even Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama have spoken out! But the battle is far from over – keep 7th October free for some UK solidarity action.

1. Keystone XL action update – do you want to do a solidarity action?
2. Moving Planet
3. Join our team!
4. Help Take on Tarmageddon

Get out there!
Emily, Jess and Sue

P.S. BP is London 2012 Olympic ‘Sustainability Partner’ – you’ve probably seen the billboards. Don’t get excited, BP haven’t changed tack without us noticing, they are just talking their usual nonsense, trying to gain cultural acceptance while continuing to destroy the planet. We’ve created a facebook page to begin to fight back, and it won’t be the last they hear from us!

1. Keystone XL action update – do you want to do a solidarity action?

The Keystone XL pipeline debate is coming to a head. If this 2,147 mile-long pipeline is built across the US, it will encourage further expansion of tar sands extraction and open up the tar sands export market to Europe and other countries. If stopped, it could force Alberta to rethink its plans for expansion. Despite some recent bad news from the State Department, which in its final environmental impact report stated that the pipeline “would not cause significant damage to the environment”, there is still a 90-day period for objection before Obama makes his final decision on whether to give the go-ahead. If there’s a time to shout about this, it’s now!

Following the incredible scenes of dignified direct action outside the White House these past two weeks, the action is now spreading. Our friends in Canada are organising a day of action on September 26th to call the Canadian government to account for its reckless pro-tar sands agenda. Then on October 7th activists will return to Washington to target the White House.

We’d love to do a solidarity action in the UK to coincide with this date – but we need to know if enough people are interested. So if you are, or even better, if you want to help us organise it, please drop us a line at info@no-tar-sands.org. In the meantime, join almost 750,000 people worldwide who have signed this petition asking Obama to stop the pipeline. For more info, see this nice testimony from NASA scientist James Hansen, one of the many prominent figures arrested in front of the White House.

2. Moving Planet

On August 31st we joined with 350.org and other groups around the world to hand letters to Canadian embassies criticising the government’s proactive promotion of tar sands. As we’ve seen, Canadian lobbying spans from pressuring the US to build the Keystone XL pipeline, to the consistent meddling in European policy-making which we’ve been working to expose for some time now.

350.org are now mobilising for Moving Planet on 24th September, a global day of action calling for the world to go beyond fossil fuels. There will be plenty of events going on in the UK and halting tar sands developments will be a major focus.

3. Join our team!

UK Tar Sands Network is looking for an intern to join our small Oxford-based team. You would help us with a range of activities, including organising protests and campaign events, keeping our website and social media up to date, public education, outreach and network-building, and some boring day-to-day administrative tasks that help keep the show on the road.

If you are committed to ending humanity’s dependence on dirty fossil fuels, believe in working in solidarity with frontline communities, have relevant skills and experience, and would enjoy working in an informal but hard-working atmosphere, sometimes dropping everything to rapidly respond to unfolding events on a shoe-string budget (though it’s often not as exciting as that), then find out more!

4. Help Take on Tarmageddon

Friendly filmmaker Pete Speller is currently co-directing a documentary called Taking on Tarmageddon along with Zoe Broughton. The film is being made on a shoe-string budget, and needs your help to fund it! The documentary is about an exchange project between students from the UK and young people from the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, exploring the impact of Canadian tar sands on the environment and the way of life for the First Nation communities.

What you can do to help:

• Donate!
• Promote!
• Visit facebook page!
• See photos and videos!