Green Party candidate Jill Stein arrested for aiding Keystone XL protesters

Texans camp out in trees to protest and prevent construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
(Tar Sands Blockade)

Third-party presidential contenders are seldom mentioned this election season, but Green Party candidate Jill Stein made news yesterday when she was arrested for bringing food and Halloween candy to Texans protesting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

For 38 days, the protesters have camped out in trees along the path of the pipeline in Winnsboro, Tex. Ms. Stein was taken to Wood County jail and charged with criminal trespassing, but not before she said a few words about climate change and industry corruption.

“The climate is taking this election by storm, breaking the silence of the Obama and Romney campaigns that have been bought and paid for by the oil, coal and gas companies,” Ms. Stein said in a statement before her arrest.

She said both candidates have failed to admit that Hurricane Sandy is a result of climate change.

Cheri Honkala, her running mate and a Philadelphia-based activist, added, “Obama and Romney's push to develop more domestic fossil fuels will accelerate our rush down the path of destruction while increasing the profits of the oil, coal and gas companies.”

Gov. Romney said he would encourage construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to help North America achieve energy independence within eight years. President Obama rejected a permit in January that would have allowed the pipeline to cross the US-Canada border, but he supports construction of the southern leg of the pipeline.

Ms. Stein and Ms. Honkala have said that, if elected, they would halt the Keystone XL pipeline, ban hydrofracking and end all other forms of drilling that pose environmental risks.

Instead, they propose redirecting research funds from fossil fuels to wind, solar and geothermal industries. One goal of her Green New Deal – a four-part plan to provide sustainable solutions – is to “invest in research in sustainable, nontoxic materials, closed-loop cycles that eliminate waste and pollution, as well as organic agriculture, permaculture and sustainable forestry.”

Emily Petsko: epetsko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1468.