Two people were arrested Monday morning as scores of protesters against the Keystone XL pipeline occupied the lobby of a Houston office for TransCanada, owner of the controversial pipeline, a spokesman for the protesters said.
The activist from Tar Sands Blockade stormed the office on Post Oak Boulevard near the Galleria mall. Dozens of police, including horse-mounted officers, are now manning the area as protesters march around the block dressed as a papier-mache dragon and chanting “Toxic tar sands spill! Tar and benzene kill!”
The group passed out hand-written fliers to shoppers and passers-by that admonished them to “WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TAR SANDS” and outlined the group’s arguments against Keystone’s construction in Texas.
It’s the latest in a string of protests by the group.
“We’re sending a message that we’re not going to stop until these people stop,” said Ron Seifert, a spokesman for the group Tar Sands Blockade.
TransCanada released the following statement Monday afternoon:
TransCanada has the legal authority to construct the Gulf Coast Project, and this is another example of the protestors’ attempt to stop a project that is currently providing thousands of jobs to American workers. This project is also a key component of the “all of the above” strategy to enhance American energy security – especially refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
