Audio by artist danny_berchenko

Berchenko, the Ohio organizer for 350.org, an international climate change organization, was there on Cleveland avenue for a demonstration in view of Obama's motorcade as it passed on its way to Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School where the president highlighted his jobs plan yesterday.

"We're here today to put the pressure on Obama to stop the permitting of this destructive pipeline--the Keystone XL--which would carry dangerous tar sands from Canada down to the US gulf coast."

Berchenko said the Keystone XL plan is dangerous for many reasons.
"It (tar sands oil) is the dirtiest form of fossil fuels on the planet. And the pipeline itself would be running over very sensitive ecosystems. One of them is the Ogallala Aquifer which supplies fresh drinking water for 20 million Americans."

He said the pipeline would also open up the Canadian tar sands to full extraction potential.

"Leading climate scientists have said if we burn the tar sands it's essentially game over in terms of climate change. It's a game-over scenario for the planet. We should not even be considering opening up the tar sands to full extraction. We should be doing everything we can to get off oil, to get beyond fossils."

Berchenko said he and other activists were there to remind Obama of the promises he made during his campaign in '08.

"He said that w/ his ascension to the presidency it would mark the beginning of the time that the rise of the oceans began to slow and the planet began to heal. And we're here to remind him of that promise."

Berchenko said the administration has not issued any statement regarding these demands.

(See also EcoWatch

Danny Berchenko of 350.org Ohio said Speaker of the House, John Boehner is touting false numbers as part of his conflict-of-interest, due to his investments in big oil companies, and due to the $1 million the Republican Congressman has taken from the fossil fuel industry during his time in office.

“He’s claiming 20,000 jobs will be created. Those numbers are from a biased study by the company that will build the pipeline if the permit is approved.”

Berchenko said independent analyses show that building Keystone XL would create, at most, 5,000 temporary jobs and only 50 permanent jobs.

“It very well could kill more jobs than it creates, because the pipeline would run over sensitive farmland in the nation’s heartland and a key aquifer that feeds farms irrigation water.”

Berchenko said the Keystone Pipeline (not to be confused with its proposed extension, Keystone XL ) has leaked 12 times in as many months.

“Rather than if, it’s when the pipeline leaks, that will affect farmers and farmers will see their livelihoods lost and we’ll see other jobs lost from this as well.”

Berchenko said clean energy legislation would lead to incentives for the creation of millions of renewable energy jobs.

“We have so much more potential…thru building solar panels and windmills right here in America and thru retrofitting our buildings. Those are jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. We can’t uproot a building and send it to China to be retrofitted.”