Wrapping up two weeks of demonstrations against a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to Mexico, opponents claimed 244 arrests Saturday during another sit-in along Pennsylvania Avenue.
The protesters want President Obama to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, proposed to run through the United States as it carries oil from the tar sands of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
The rally includes "the delivery of a petition with 617,428 names urging President Obama to deny the pipeline permit," said a statement from organizers.
They've been outside the White House for days, prompting more than 1,200 arrests that have included actress Darryl Hannah and prominent environmentalist Bill McKibben.
McKibben, who is leading the protests, said Obama's decision Friday to delay higher air control standards heightens his concern over the proposed oil pipeline.
"Given yesterday's baffling cave on ozone standards, the need for a fighting environmental movement has never been more clear," McKibben said. "That movement is being born right here in front of the White House and reverberating around the country."
In announcing the final day of the sit-ins, organizers cited Obama's (potential) support from environmentalists in next year's re-election bid:
The President must live up to his campaign promises to fight climate change and get the country off of oil. The Keystone XL pipeline is a key litmus test of his commitment before the 2012 election. If he chooses to permit the pipeline he risks alienating a key voting block -- youth and environmentalists.
While oil pipeline protesters will end their two weeks of White House protests today, it is only a temporary stoppage -- organizers say they will be back in Washington in October.
