Dear President Obama,

If you and the Army Corps of Engineers delay the decision to deny a building permit on the Dakota Access pipeline you will cement your legacy as a president who protected fossil fuel interests over people.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe inhabited the land, that now known as Cannonball, ND, long before fossil fuels were discovered, and long before America was founded. Are you willing to chisel your name on the list of presidents who took advantage of the Native American community for their land? Not only will the pipeline likely pollute their water, but the destruction of sacred burial grounds is required in order to complete construction. The only groups in support of this seems to be only companies like Energy Transfer Partners, the company constructing the pipeline.

Americans across the country are protesting your decision to delay because the people can see President-elect Donald Trump on the horizon. He will encourage and fight for that permit because he  to focus on infrastructure and he does not believe in global warming! Not to mention an investor of the pipeline.The Donald spent the ladder of his campaign talking about rebuilding bridges, roads, and airports. Kelsy Warren, the CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, donated over $100,000 to the Trump campaign.

If you allow for the decision to be made by President Trump and the permit passes, you will circumvent all of the climate change work you have accomplished during your administration. You will be not only encouraging the use of fossil fuels, but encouraging a future with them.

Fighting for climate change will be hard enough during the Trump administration. Please don’t make the battle harder on us. My generation will be the first generation that deals with the catastrophic effects of climate change, and my biggest fear is that we are too far away from a solution and the effects will become irreversible.

By summer time of 2040 the polar ice caps will be melted. Completely melted.

Miami is having to spend 400 million dollars on a pump system to prevent the city from sinking. Climate change is real and the only way to stop it is to leave fossil fuels in the ground where they belong.

Leave your presidency on a mic drop. When Leslie Knope lost her recall vote, did she sit in waiting for the next administration to unravel all of her work? NO! She spent her last 30 days in office fighting for the issues that matter. I ask, no I plead that you deny access to finish the pipeline. Show us that Barack Obama is not a man who winces at the sight of conflict. Show that no matter what the circumstance you will fight for the issues that matter to you and the people you represent.

I come to you as a concerned American, and a concerned world citizen. Please, deny the permit TODAY! The world is watching. Mr. President, what will your legacy be?

From,

Clayton Cain

Arapahoe High School, Colorado, Student, Co-Founder of wearewithearth.wix.com

This letter was sent to President Barack Obama on Wednesday, November 16, 2016. The power is with the people. It is time to get involved in the political process. The stakes are too high for a self centered, xenophobic, misogynistic, bigoted child to ruin our planet. Make your voice heard. In cities across the United States people are protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In the coming weeks DJ Debonis and I, co founders of wearewithearth.wix.com plan on unveiling our new website which will provide easy, credible information on all types of climate change. The issues will be broken down into simple categories with information on each. The site will also contain information on ways to get involved in the fight against climate change. The Republican leaders control the Senate, The House of Representatives,  the Presidency, and potentially the Supreme Court. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, President Donald Trump, and probable EPA head Myron Ebell are all climate change deniers. We the people need to take initiative if we want our planet to survive.