Mary Mann, a 68-year-old grandmother from Atlanta, had never been arrested — until this week in front of the White House. "I'm tremendously concerned about our children," says the petite woman in sneakers and a floppy sun hat. She's holding a sign with a campaign appeal President Obama once made to free America from the "tyranny of oil."

Mann is one of 842 Americans who had been arrested through Thursday during a two-week protest — ending today — against a controversial U.S.-Canadian pipeline.

The sit-in reflects the increasingly vociferous, and well-organized, campaign to thwart the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline extension that would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, through six U.S. states to refineries along the Gulf Coast.

Opponents — including actors Daryl Hannah, Mark Ruffalo and Margot Kidder— are painting the $7 billion private project as a litmus test of Obama's commitment to fight climate change. "Which side are you on, Obama?" they chanted this week before being calmly handcuffed.

Debating best source for oil
To move ahead, the project needs a presidential permit. The State Department says a decision is expected by year's end. On Aug. 26, it issued a final environmental review, concluding the pipeline would have no significant impact and Canada's tar sands will be developed whether the project is approved or not.

Calgary-based TransCanada, the pipeline's owner, says the project will create jobs and reduce U.S. dependence on unstable foreign oil sources.

Its spokesman, Terry Cunha, says the United States imports more than half its oil, so the question is simple: "Does the U.S. want to get crude oil from Canada … or places like the Middle East and Libya?"

Opponents know they have a tough fight. Tar Sands Action, a diverse coalition of environmentalists, farmers and landowners, argues that the pipeline is unnecessary and some of the oil will likely be exported.

Critics say the existing Keystone pipeline, completed last year, has already spilled 21,000 gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River, so extending it would cause other spills that would contaminate more groundwater. Also, they say that greenhouse gas emission from the development and use of tar sands are higher than for other crude oil.

"In 2008, the president made strong commitments on climate change," says Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental group. She says Obama now has to prove his support by nixing the pipeline's permit — something he can do without Congress.

White House spokesman Clark Stevens says Obama is leaving the details to the State Department. He points to the president's remarks in April when he said: "It if looks like I'm putting my fingers on the scale before the science is done, then people may question the merits of the decision later on." Obama added that "importing oil from countries that are stable and friendly is a good thing."

To ramp up the pressure on him, opponents launched the sit-in just two days before the Aug. 22 opening a mile away of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial — a tribute to a man who championed civil disobedience.

"We had no idea this would work," says co-organizer Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a grass-roots group. "People have responded beyond our expectations," he says, adding that more than 2,000 people signed up to participate.

"None of us can remember anything quite like this before," says Tidwell, a veteran activist who was arrested on the sit-in's first day. He attributes its success to "pent-up frustration among average Americans about what they feel they were promised during the 2008 campaign" and what has happened.

The sit-in, largely spearheaded by environmental activist and author Bill McKibben, turned out more than 100 protesters each day. All of those arrested were released within hours, except 50 on the first day — including McKibben — who spent two nights in jail.

Getting trained for protests
Many underwent four hours of training at a Washington, D.C., church that discussed the pipeline, rehearsed chants to sing, urged them to dress and act in a dignified manner, and told them what to bring: identification and $110. ($100 for the fine and $10 to take the bus or subway home.)

"The organization is absolutely amazing," says David Daniel, a Texas landowner whose property would be traversed by the pipeline. He was No. 94 to be arrested on Day 12. "It's very unique," says the NRDC's Beinecke, who describes the sit-in as the most dramatic environmental protest at the White House in decades.

"The unusual aspect is the number of arrests several days in a row," says Sgt. David Schlosser of the U.S. Park Police, which made the arrests.

"Our group doesn't have money, but we have bodies," Mann says as she looks at fellow protesters gathered under trees in Lafayette Park as they prepare to march — in two straight lines — across the street to 1600 Pennyslvania Ave.

Some of the men wear suits and the women dresses, but most look like they're ready for a day hike, clad in sturdy shoes, safari hats and cargo shorts. Before they leave, an organizer reminds them to sign in and use the restroom. "Does anyone have sunscreen?" one man asks.

McKibben gives them a pep talk, telling them it's not easy for law-abiding people to be arrested but he thanks them for coming. He tells them they're gaining support but adds, "We don't know if we'll win this battle."

(By Wendy Koch, USA Today, 02/09/2011)