Activists Against The Keystone Pipeline Project Demonstrate At The State Department

Green groups are contemplating the next battle after the fight over the Keystone XL pipeline is over. While no one knows what the ultimate fate of the pipeline will be, the decision will come soon and activists will need to move on to other issues.

Green groups including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, 350.org, and Friends of the Earth, have discussed what they will focus on post Keystone XL.

“Everyone is thinking about what comes next,” said David Goldston of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Is there another issue that might engage the grassroots the way that Keystone has and what will it be?” – As reported by the National Journal

The fight over the Keystone XL pipeline generated a unique coalition of Native Americans, farmers, ranchers, and activists that may be difficult, if not impossible, to replicate. There is not likely to be a direct replacement as green groups engage in a wide variety of campaigns.

Among the most potent issues environmentalists are fighting include the effort to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, divesting from fossil fuels, stopping fracking and fighting Arctic oil development. Rather than try to manufacture a grand showdown, environmentalists plan to promote as many issues as possible and hope that some gain traction with the public and the grassroots.