Ten Lincoln County residents joined 40 environmental activists at a vigil on the green in Brunswick Monday evening, February 3 to send a message to President Barack Obama that the Keystone XL pipeline does not pass his climate test and he should reject the project.

The pipeline, proposed to deliver more than 800,000 barrels per day of toxic tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, across the United States’ heartland to Texas refineries for shipping to export markets, has met stiff opposition from ranchers, land owners, farmers, indigenous peoples and environmental groups.

Nearly 500 Mainers at Monday's vigils were part of a national demonstration of concern that involved over 10,000 citizens in 48 states. The vigil in Brunswick was organized by 350 Maine, CREDO Pledge of Resistance, Sierra Club-Maine, Merrymeeting Greens, and Peaceworks in response to the Friday release of the U.S. State Department's flawed environmental analysis of the pipeline. The analysis was conducted by a contractor who previously worked for TransCanada Corp., the Keystone XL pipeline developer.

For more information about tar sands and community efforts to stop its delivery to Maine, go to 350maine.org. Local 350 Maine contact is Andy Burt of Edgecomb. Email Burt at annedburt145@gmail.com.