RFK Jr. Arrested at Keystone Pipeline Protest (VIDEO)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., along with other celebrities and renowned scientists including James Hansen, was arrested yesterday after tying himself to a White House gate during a protest against the proposed construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the Associate Press reports.

Kennedy who is an environmental lawyer and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, was charged with failure to disperse and obey lawful orders. Sierra Club executive director MIchael Brune, actress Daryl Hannah, and civil rights leader Julian Bond were also arrested and charged. They were all released on a $100 bond each.

The 59-year-old said he "regrets" the arrests and would rather dispute the matter in court, adding that the Keystone XL pipeline is "a boondoggle of monumental proportions" that will "ruin the lives of millions of people."

If constructed, Keystone XL would run 500,000 barrels of oil extracted from Canadian tar sands deposits to American refineries near the gulf coast. Environmentalists say the 2,000 mile-long pipeline would pose a health hazards to communities near its route and that its carbon foot print would be disasterous for the Earth's atmopshere. The decision on the pipeline's construction has been put off until this summer.

But, American Petroleum Institute president Jack Gerard called Keystone "the most thoroughly vetted major infrastructure project in the nation's history." He said the pipline's operator, TransCanada, has agreed to 57 regulations soought by the federal government to guarantee environmental safety.

"Getting people into these new jobs is critical," Gerard added, noting the country's 8 percent unemployment rate.

Yesterday's protest come only days before as many as 30,000 demonstrators are expected to rally at the National Mall on this Sunday, Presidents' Day. Known as the "Forward on Climate" rally, it was organized by the Sierra Club and 350.org. Dozens of organizations from around the country have supported the movement.

In a previous interview with the Latinospost, Latino Media Strategist for the Sierra Club Javier Sierra said,"It's obvioius we have a challenge in front of us. It's the challenge of our age."

The Latino-American community is the most adversely effected by fossil fuels and power plant emissions, he said.

Further reading:

Historic 'Forward on Climate' Rally Can Impact Latino Community for the Better