The opponents of the Keystone XL and other pipelines have to keep on winning, forever, while those trying to build pipelines, or similar projects, only have to win once
I said those words 4 years ago, and sadly it looks like I was right:
President Trump signed an executive action today to push forward the Dakota Access pipeline as well as the Keystone XL pipeline.
I wish being right felt better.
To win for good you need to develop technologies so competitive that the pipelines no longer have profitability, no amount of protests will win over the long term. Only the scientists can win this battle, too much money and hobs are on the line for the other side to give up until profit and jobs can no longer be found because a technology has come along that is, far, far cheaper.
It seems that way for a lot of environmental decisions, land zoning in particular. Land zoned for Environmental Protection can be challenged continuously but once it is zoned for development it can never go back.