Forget about Keystone XL; there’s an imminent oil threat closer to Vermont. Tar sands oil, the dirtiest oil on the planet, may be on its way through the Northeast Kingdom. And you have the power and opportunity to do something about it.

Corporations and lobbying firms representing the oil industry have given strong indication that they want to reverse the flow of an aging crude oil pipeline in New England, the Portland Montreal Pipeline, which currently crosses Vermont and New Hampshire and sends crude oil west, from Maine to Canada. The pipeline reversal would mean that tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada would travel east through Vermont to Portland, Maine for export. As the extremely close vote in South Portland, Maine, on Nov. 5th shows, there is an ever growing community-led effort to resist tar sands oil.

Last year, 29 towns in Vermont passed town meeting resolutions opposing the use of this pipeline for tar sands oil transport. Building on the success of last year, people throughout Vermont, particularly in towns in the Northeast Kingdom, are now gathering signatures to put the pipeline issue on their town’s ballot on Town Meeting Day, March 2014. The ballot question would register people’s opposition to the pipeline reversal.

By signing a petition in your area, you are voicing your opposition to the Portland Montreal Pipeline being used for tar sands oil. By helping to spearhead a petition-signing drive in your town, you can do even more to help stop this dangerous threat.

Here are upcoming ways to plug into the Keep VT Tar Sands Free Campaign:

Vermont Community Access Media: Channel 15 &17

Critical Mass TV

Sunday, Nov. 10 @ 8pm

Tar Sands Field Organizer Jade Walker will be interviewed.

350 Vermont’s Town Resolutions committee meeting:

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, 6 – 8 pm

Cobleigh Library in Lyndonville  

and

Wednesday Nov. 20, 6 – 8 pm

Newport Community Justice Center  

55 Seymour Lane (which is just off of Main St. beside the State Office Building)

Contact ncjc@kingdomjustice.org for more info.

350 Vermont’s Tar Sands Education/Outreach Committee meeting:

Nov. 14 from 10 am – 12 pm

Pratt Library, Goddard College campus, Plainfield

Teach-in Presentation:

Nov. 13 from 7 – 9pm

St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Hardwick

A presentation about Tar Sands oil, the Portland Montreal Pipeline, and how it will effect the Northeast Kingdom. We will learn about community defense efforts across the continent and what we can do here.

Movie and Presentation:

Wed., November 20, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Fletcher Free Library, Burlington

Two short Tar Sands films: “Tar Sands Action” by Josh Fox and “Healing Walks” by Zakee Kuduro and #KeystoneFail Presentations.

The pipeline reversal offers no benefit to the people of Vermont – only risk. No jobs or revenue will be created. And in the event of a spill, we’ll be the ones left paying the bill.

Please contact Jade Walker at 350 Vermont — jade@350VT.org — to start an action group in your town or to get involved today in the fight to keep Vermont tar sands free.