The pipeline dragon

In latest Keystone Pipeline protest, environmentalists storm offices of oilgiant TransCanada

On Monday, environmental activists stormed the Post Oak offices of TransCanada,owners of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline.
Photo by Tar Sands Blockade/Flickr
Protestors fro the Tar Sands Blockade group flooded the building's lobbystarting at 10 a.m.
Photo by Tar Sands Blockade/Flickr
Organizers brought out a paper mache dragon, representing the social andenvironmental havoc the pipeline will unleash. Protestors slayed the dragonthroughout the event.
Photo by Tar Sands Blockade/Flickr
Two activists were arrested after chaining themselves to a doorway.
Photo by Tar Sands Blockade/Flickr
The events lasted two to three hours, bringing approximately 100 protestors tothe building, according to Tar Sands Blockade.
Photo by Tar Sands Blockade/Flickr

Two activists were arrested Monday during a protest at the Galleria-area offices of the TransCanada Corporation, whose Keystone XL pipeline is currently under construction to bring controversial tar sands to the Gulf Coast oil industry.

The Tar Sands Blockade — a non-violent coalition of climate change organizers and Texas-Oklahoma landowners — kicked off events at 10 a.m. by flooding the building's lobby with about 100 protestors, according to the group's spokesperson Ron Seifert.

"Tar sands are the dirtiest hydrocarbon on the planet and we want to send a clear message to TransCanada that they'll be held accountable for anyone harmed by this pipeline."

"There was a lot of political theater this morning," he told CultureMap Monday afternoon. "Tar sands are the dirtiest hydrocarbon on the planet and we want to send a clear message to TransCanada that they'll be held accountable for anyone harmed by this pipeline."

After taking over the ground floor public space, the group marched around the building for several hours with the organization's Pipeline Dragon, which Seifert described as a large paper-mache creature standing in for Keystone's effects on communities and the environment. "In the end," he added, "the dragon's slain by several Tar Sands Blockaders."

The two protestors were arrested during a scheduled "Death by Tar Sands" skit, which Seifert said involved activists locking themselves to an office door and pretending they were killed by TransCanada crude.

According to the Houston Chronicle Fuel Fix blog, dozens of Houston police officers patrolled the scene on horseback as protestors passed out hand-written fliers and chanted “Toxic tar sands spill! Tar and benzene kill!”

“This is another example of the protestors’ attempt to stop a project that is currently providing thousands of jobs to American workers,” explained TransCanada in a statement.

TransCanada spokesperson David Dodson told CultureMap the protests mainly disrupted building operations for only 15 to 20 minutes, adding that most of the workers effected by the events were not even associated with the Calgary-based company or the pipeline.

“This is another example of the protestors’ attempt to stop a project that is currently providing thousands of jobs to American workers,” Dobson explained in a subsequent statement. "TransCanada has secured every permit needed to build the Gulf Coast Project. We have followed the law to the letter. We are building the safest pipeline ever built, one that will greatly enhance America's energy security."

The Monday incidents come less than a week after Tar Sands Blockaders camped out on treetop platforms to halt Keystone construction in Diboll, 100 northeast of Houston. The group arranged another tree campsite in November closer to the Dallas area.

Also on Monday, according to Ron Seifert, two members of the organization officially ended their 40-day hunger strike on behalf of citizens affected by toxins from a Houston Valero refinery expected to receive tar sands when the Keystone XL is complete.

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share the road

Texas is one of the least cyclist-friendly states in the nation

Photo by Danist Soh on Unsplash

If you've ridden your bicycle in Houston, you already know how true this is.

In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Houston, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycle riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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