All photos by Lee Stewart.
The FERCUS is back in town – Beyond Extreme Energy Resumes Demonstrations at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Two demonstrators got through heavy federal police security to enter the FERC Commissioners’ meeting. When the meeting was underway, they stood up to address the Commissioners and demand that there be “no new permits”. The protesters were escorted from the building by federal police.
- Jon Kenney told the Commissioners that the Dominion Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas project has put the surrounding residential community in Lusby Maryland at risk – “[t]he community is being destroyed”.
- Jane Califf called out FERC for approving new natural gas pipeline construction next to the aging – and dangerous – Indian Point nuclear power station next to the Hudson River in New York State, adding that FERC should approve “no new permits.”
Meanwhile BXE demonstrators dressed in clown costumes paraded around the front of the FERC headquarters building – in part within earshot of the Commissioners’ meeting – singing, blowing horns and whistles, and chanting: “FERC must “stop clowning around” and issue “no new permits.” At the same time another BXE demonstrator skirted federal police to release helium balloons bearing the BXE no-permits message into a two-story atrium. A federal policeman commented that BXE “got your message out”.Donald Weightman, a media coordinator for BXE, commented:
Today’s demonstrations were the latest in a series of mounting protests led by BXE against FERC’s energy-industry-friendly natural gas policy. Last July BXE blockaded FERC headquarters in a one-day demonstration leading to more than a dozen arrests. In November BXE led a five day street demonstration outside FERC headquarters, leading to still more arrests.
Escalating protests at each monthly FERC Commissioners meeting led then Chair, Cheryl LaFleur, to declare that “We have a situation here.” FERC thereupon issued an industry-friendly gag rule for its Commissioners’ Meetings, and moved the date of its May meeting – unsuccessfully – to avoid BXE protests. Nonetheless, there were more demonstrations and more arrests at the early-May meeting.
Finally, at the end of May, BXE led “the FERCus”, a nine-day demonstration including blockades, a half day silent vigil, a street carnival, and “flash mobs” of quick-strike surprise demonstrations at gas industry tagets, National Public Radio, and, again at FERC. There were five arrests during the FERCus protests. BXE ended the protests by saying that it would be back and continue to bring the community’s concerns to the Commission – FERC must no longer be the first line of defense for the fossil fuel industries in setting energy policy.BXE is a network of community groups and citizens from throughout the mid-Atlantic and New England – and now from across the country – who are challenging FERC’s policies on fracked natural gas infrastructure.