Environmentalists Form 12,000-Strong Circle Around White House

Opponents of Keystone XL pipeline circle off the White House

If President Obama and the White House thought activist opposition t the Keystone XL oil pipeline was over, since the August three-week sit-in had dissipated, then they should think again. Opponents of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would transport oil created from tar sands in Canada all the way through the U.S. and deposited in Texas, gathered in D.C. again to voice their disapproval of the project, this time forming a circle around the White House.

The circle was over 12,000 people strong and started with a rally in Lafayette Square, near the White House. President Obama said he'd be making the final call on whether the pipeline gets built. The debate has become one between the future of the environment and jobs, but the jobs numbers touted by those who want to build the pipeline have been exaggerated.

The protest, organized by Tar Sands Action, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, 350.org, and others, appeared to exceed turnout expectations, with the human chain running several people deep in most areas, reports Think Progress.