"Environmentalists Push To Keep Canadian Crude In The Ground"

"The Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Canadian oil sands down to the U.S. Gulf Coast, isn't just an infrastructure project. It's also a symbol for the fight over the future of energy.

Producing oil from Alberta's tar sands emits more pollution than traditional oil drilling, so many environmentalists want that crude left in the ground. And more broadly, they want the world to turn away from climate-changing fossil fuels toward cleaner forms of energy, like wind and solar.

Mike Hudema, who works with Greenpeace Canada as a climate and energy campaigner, is one of those activists. He says he sympathizes with people who need jobs: He has family members who work in Alberta's oil fields. Still, Hudema considers it a victory when big oil companies announce delays in new oil sands projects."

Jeff Brady reports for NPR's Morning Edition January 8, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Experts Say That Battle on Keystone Pipeline Is Over Politics, Not Facts" (New York Times)

"Senate Panel's Keystone XL Vote Moves Congress Toward Showdown With Obama" (Dallas Morning News)

"Stop What You’Re Doing And Watch Elizabeth Warren Rip Apart Keystone" (Grist)

"Nebraska Residents Weary Of Keystone XL Pipeline Debate" (NPR)

"House To Vote Again, on Keystone Pipeline" (AP)