Police arrested more than 200 demonstrators for trespassing at Chevron Corp. in Richmond, Calif., on Saturday to protest the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Protesters, all carrying sunflowers, chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go,” Reuters reported.
Police Capt. Mark Gagan said the arrests were peaceful, and most of those arrested were cited and released.
Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, who is leading a call for using only renewable energy, was one of the first to be handcuffed, Reuters said.
The protest came a day after the city of Richmond filed a lawsuit against Chevron over a pipeline explosion last August that sent 15,000 people to the hospital, Reuters reported.
“Our community is at risk every day for another fire and explosion,” Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin said.
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The White House is expected to decide whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline by early 2014.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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