Texas landowner speaks on TransCanada's bullying at Tar Sands Blockade film screening

On the 27th of August, the film Above All Else, about the Texas tree sitting blockade against the southern leg of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline was shown for the first time in DC at the E St Cinema. The film showing was followed by a panel discussion about the pipeline and the tar sands blockade, featuring landowner Julia Trigg Crawford who recounted in person the bullying tactics TransCanada and their lawyers used to deter landowners from refusing to sell them easements to build the pipeline

Trailer on Vimeo for Above All Else

Landowner Julia Trigg Crawford speaks about TransCanada's brutal bullying tactics

In the film, both landowners who appeared in the film explained that TransCanada responded to the blockade with explicit threats to use lawsuits for huge amounts of money to take ALL their land if resistance continued. Although this forced the landowners to revoke formal permission for the blockade to use their land, the blockaders understood they were doing the right thing, and stayed in the trees long enough that TransCanada ended up rerouting the pipeline around the treesit on land not previously surveyed. This was done in such a way as to endanger the treesitters by felling trees at danger-close range.

Although tar sands oil has been proven to be currently flowing through the Southern leg of the Keystone XL, the crucial northern leg that was supposed to also be in operation as of now still has not begun construction, Obama has delayed any decision until after the upcoming election. Leaks from inside the White House suggest he was decided to disapprove the pipeline due to the huge stink about it coming from a crucial part of his base. The Tar Sands Blockade in Texas helped make this possible