Wow! We raised over $45,000 to help Julia Trigg Crawford take on Big Oil's lawyers and PR consultants who are trying to seize her Texas farm to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Her critical pre-trial hearing starts this Friday, and we want to send her a giant Good Luck card to remind her that we've got her back.
We are totally blown away. We set what we thought was an ambitious goal -- to raise $25,000 -- to help Julia Trigg Crawford go head-to-head with TransCanada’s high-priced lawyers and PR consultants. Together, we didn't just meet it, we almost doubled it, raising over $45,000 for Julia Trigg’s legal defense to stop the Keystone XL pipeline.
When we called Julia Trigg to tell her about the incredible generosity of the SumOfUs.org community, she was so overwhelmed with gratitude that first she yelled, then she was speechless. Calling her to give her the good news was the highlight of our week.
But now comes the hard part.
Imagine how nerve-wracking it will be to go into that courtroom against one of the world’s largest corporations, knowing it wants to take your farm to build one of the most dangerous pipelines world has ever seen. That’s why we want Julia Trigg to go into that courtroom knowing that tens of thousands of us stand with her.
Send a Good Luck message to Julia Trigg before her pre-trial hearing this week.
The Keystone XL pipeline will pump tar sands, some of the world’s dirtiest fuel, to refineries and ports in Texas where it will be loaded into tankers and shipped to foreign markets. But Julia Trigg’s family farm lies directly in the pipeline’s path. That’s why TransCanada, the company building it, is fighting desperately to seize part of her land through a legal process called “eminent domain.” Many SumOfUs members, including Julia Trigg, have been campaigning against the pipeline for years. This case is a huge opportunity to delay or even block the pipeline.
Julia Trigg tells us that SumOfUs.org members have given her and her people-powered team the resources to amp up her legal support and hire another attorney! For one woman fighting against Big Oil’s team of lawyers, this could be game-changing. We’re humbled by the incredible kindness of the SumOfUs.org community, and thrilled to support an amazing woman fighting on behalf of all of us.
Julia Trigg asked us to pass along her deepest thanks. But we want to do something else for her as she heads into one of the biggest battles of her life -- going head-to-head with Big Oil’s team of lawyers in court. Can you sign our Good Luck card to her and her family (and send them a message), so she knows that SumOfUs.org members who can’t be in that packed courtroom are standing with her in spirit?
Julia’s pre-trial starts on Friday, and her trial begins in late August. If she wins, TransCanada is likely to appeal the decision -- and if TransCanada wins, Julia Trigg also has the option of appealing. The legal battle could go on for months or even years -- but Julia, her family, and her people-powered team are in this fight for the long haul, and every day that she’s fighting is a day the pipeline isn’t being built.
Thank you again for your amazing support. We’re proving that the SumOfUs community is capable of doing something truly incredible.
Taren, Emma and the SumOfUs.org team
