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Brant Olson - who has written 115 posts on Rainforest Action Network Blog.
Yesterday, AP reported that the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to Texas won’t decrease gas prices (I broke that story last month, but who’s counting). In fact, a report commissioned by pipeline sponsor TransCanada now shows that connecting tar sands producers with Gulf Coast refiners actually pushes gas prices up for everybody. That same [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, January 25 2011
This week, HSBC became the second international bank in as many months to take a step away from financing in the Tar Sands. The bank hinted in press reports last year that it was reviewing its tar sands business. Now the London-based bank has come through. In a post to its website, the bank quietly [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, December 22 2010
It took nearly two years, but today Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) finally adopted environmental and social standards on its financing in the tar sands. Great! So what does that mean? Clearly, it means a significant about-face on tar sands for one of the world’s biggest banks. Before today, RBC trailed its peers on basic [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, December 21 2010
With approval of his $7 billion KeystoneXL pipeline uncertain, TransCanada CEO Russ Girling is now saying the project has nothing to do with Canada’s tar sands. But that’s not the story he’s telling investors. In an interview reported today by Lauren Krugel of the Canadian Press, CEO Russ Girling said: I don’t believe that there’s [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, December 15 2010
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is making false claims about a massive new oil pipeline through the Midwest that contradict the Industry’s own research. In a conference call last week reported today by Politico, API previewed a national advertising campaign supporting the TransCanada KeystoneXL oil pipeline set to launch in January. Critics including Senator Mike [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, October 12 2010
Check out this great shot of RAN Freedom From Oil Campaigner Eriel Deranger (that’s her on the right) with James Cameron and friends from Greenpeace and IEN. Cameron was in town for a tour of the tar sands. More details on his trip can be found here on the Understory and at Huffington Post. Spoiler: [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, September 28 2010
James Cameron, “the most powerful man in Hollywood,” is in Alberta. Canadian TV cut into regular broadcasts this morning to show footage of him climbing into a helicopter for an areal tour of the tar sands. He’s touring with industry reps this morning, then will visit with Indigenous leaders later this afternoon in Ft. Chipewyan. [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, September 15 2010
Following three significant spills of tar sands oil from aging pipelines in the Midwest, RAN Chicago took action. An afternoon protest was themed around pushing back on Canada’s tar sands and kicking our addiction to oil. Of the various placards on display (stop the serial spiller!), the hypodermic needle filled with oil was my personal [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, September 8 2010
Speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi is in Ottawa today and tomorrow meeting with both friends and foes of Canada’s tar sands. RAN did our part to greet Madam Speaker on both coasts. In Ottawa, we teamed up with LUSH Cosmetics and IEN for a bit of theater on the steps of Parliament (pics and [...]
Continue reading...By Brant Olson, August 24 2010
As 500 climate activists set up camp at RBS Global Headquarters in Edinburgh last week, the bank tried and failed to play the victim. Despite the bank’s assertions to the press, we showed that the bank is not a top funder of renewable energy (according to Bloomberg), and never offered to meet with protest leaders [...]
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Our response to @MittRomney's out of touch response to #BofA protest in #CLT last week: http://t.co/6jGh8huQ
By Brant Olson, January 26 2011
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