Message to Obama: Free America from the Tyranny of Oil

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) advocates against the Keystone XL pipeline, citing the high greenhouse gas emissions of Alberta's tar sands and concerns over political influence in the State Department's permitting process. The statement also details CIEL's efforts to eliminate coal funding in international finance institutions, specifically criticizing World Bank loans for coal projects in South Africa and Kosovo, while referencing IPCC findings that renewables could meet nearly 80 percent of global energy supply by mid-century.

• The extraction of oil from Alberta's tar sands is significantly more carbon-intensive than conventional oil, producing approximately three times the greenhouse gas emissions.
• CIEL filed a Freedom of Information Act complaint against the U.S. State Department to ensure that permitting for the Keystone XL pipeline is based on environmental impact assessments rather than political connections, specifically requesting records between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and TransCanada's chief Washington lobbyist.
• CIEL is working to remove coal from carbon markets, noting that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is currently awarding carbon credits to new coal power projects despite its goal of promoting sustainable development.
• The World Bank has been criticized for failing to properly account for human health and environmental costs in its funding of coal projects, specifically the 4,800 MW Eskom Project in South Africa and a proposed 600-MW lignite-fired power plant in Kosovo.
• According to a report by the IPCC, renewables could provide nearly 80 percent of the global energy supply by the middle of the century if supported by appropriate policies.

APA

Kistler, A. (2011). Message to Obama: Free America from the Tyranny of Oil. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/message-to-obama-free-america-from-the-tyranny-of-oil/

Chicago

Kistler, Amanda. Message to Obama: Free America from the Tyranny of Oil. Center for International Environmental Law, 2011. https://www.ciel.org/message-to-obama-free-america-from-the-tyranny-of-oil/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kistler |first1=Amanda |title=Message to Obama: Free America from the Tyranny of Oil |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=26 August 2011 |url=https://www.ciel.org/message-to-obama-free-america-from-the-tyranny-of-oil/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kistler2011message, author = {Kistler, Amanda}, title = {{Message to Obama: Free America from the Tyranny of Oil}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ciel.org/message-to-obama-free-america-from-the-tyranny-of-oil/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }