And Pipeline Fighters Lock Themselves To Drill At Greenbrier River.
Summers County, WV — Six pipeline fighters took action and put their bodies on the line today at Mountain Valley Pipeline’s construction site at the Greenbrier River crossing. They made it clear they will not stand down while the world faces the imminent threat of environmental catastrophe. Four were part of the self-proclaimed “Rocking Chair Rebellion,” a contingent of elder protesters in rocking chairs blocking an MVP access road, with their legs locked into concrete barrels. Two more locked themselves to the drill that MVP will use to drill under the river.
Nearby, a rally of over a dozen people gathered to show support for the protest, holding signs such as, “Water Is Life,” and “No Dirty Pipelines.”
The protest began around 6 AM. After many hours blocking the road and preventing construction, all six protesters were extracted, arrested, and charged with 3 misdemeanors each. All six have since been released on $3,000 bail each for the Rocking Chair Rebellion and $3,500 each for the pipeline fighters locked to the drill.
Rose Abramoff (she/they), one of the people locked to the drill, stated, “I’m an Earth scientist. I study how climate change and human land use affects ecosystems like the one that the Mountain Valley Pipeline is ripping its way through. I can’t stand by and live my life as usual while this carbon bomb rips its way through Appalachia. That is why I am choosing to be here and stop this work with my body. We are desperate, we are out of time, so we are rising up.” Abramoff has trekked to vulnerable forests and melting permafrost to measure greenhouse gases from the soil, and has run computer simulations where temperatures and emissions climb without stopping—the results are both terrifying and devastating.
Marty Zinn (she/her), also locked to the drill, stated, “I have lived a long life at almost 80 years old; I want to help ensure that young people today and in the future have a chance to live a life too, and one that is worth living. I am acting for them. That is why I came to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Its sole purpose is to transport fracked natural gas mostly for export to foreign countries and make a lot of money for fossil fuel corporations and their owners—meanwhile further endangering the survival of all we know.”
Judy Smucker (she/her), one of the folks blocking the access road, stated, “When we know better, we have to do better, and we know we have to follow the science. We want a livable future for our children. Our children are depending on us.”
Melinda Tuhus (she/her), also blocking the access road in a rocking chair, stated, “Appalachia should not be a sacrifice zone as fossil fuel projects continue to be built out, backed by both political parties. The people here love their land and their clean water which will be destroyed by MVP. I am here in solidarity and also because my future is bound up with theirs.”
Jess Grim (she/her), part of the Rocking Chair Rebellion, stated, “A livable planet tomorrow depends on serious and dedicated action TODAY to end fossil fuels. I want my young adult son to feel he has a future, and that generations beyond his have a fair chance of living on a clean, healthy planet. The MVP flies flagrantly in the face of what we know we must do to insure that future. The near certainty that the pipeline will cause environmental destruction and serious harms to the people of Appalachia essentially insures years more climate destruction. It makes the completion of the pipeline unconscionable. The MVP must be stopped, and I am willing to put my body on the line to advance the fight to defeat it. NO MVP!”
Mary Beth Naim (she/her), from her perch in a rocking chair blocking the access road, stated, “I sit here with my fellow elders in the same spot where Joe Manchin celebrated the sacrificing of Appalachians communities, lands, and water as a bargaining chip for his Mountain Valley Pipeline. I protest the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure which further heats up our burning planet. I stand for our children, grandchildren, and future generations who deserve a livable planet.”
Across Appalachia, from Ohio to North Carolina, participants with groups such as Scientist Rebellion, Third Act (Ohio, DC, Virginia and North Carolina), GreenFaith, Beyond Extreme Energy, and Climate Defiance joined in solidarity with local activists and Appalachians Against Pipelines to resist the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a 42-inch diameter fracked gas pipeline that will cover 303 miles of Appalachia. The project has a long record of environmental violations and court battles about failures to hold on to key permits, and is emblematic of the struggle to transition away from fossil fuels. In June 2023 the pipeline was fast-tracked by Congress, despite local residents voicing their opposition and concerns. The Greenbrier River crossing is one of the longest water crossings along the route. MVP still has over 400 water and wetland crossings to complete during the construction process.