Roanoke County, VA – Early Wednesday morning, married couple Ted Glick (74) and Jane Califf (83), locked themselves inside a large wooden possum on Honeysuckle Rd in Roanoke County, VA, blocking Mountain Valley Pipeline construction in the area. Ted and Jane prevented MVP’s access to the pipeline easement, a work yard, and 2 access roads, for 6.5 hours, before they were extracted from their blockade and arrested. They were each charged with 3 misdemeanors, given bail of $3,000, and bailed out the same day. A support rally of a dozen people gathered on site with Ted and Jane, many wearing possum costumes. Banners and signs on site read, “ELDERS SAY NO MVP,” and “DEFEND THIS LAND.”
“We are a married couple of 45 years,” they explained in their joint statement. “We are taking action together as elders deeply concerned about the future facing our 3-year-old grandson, all children, and all life on earth. That is why we have joined with many others to stop the destructive and abusive Mountain Valley Pipeline, as well as any new fossil fuel infrastructure. Three years ago, the International Energy Agency said that was needed even then, because of the seriousness of the climate emergency.”
Ted, an organizer with Beyond Extreme Energy, and Jane, a retired teacher, have been long-time activists since the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. For 10 years, they have been active in the movement to protect monarch butterflies from extinction. The possum used in the blockade had monarch butterflies painted on it.
They also brought up the connection between climate change and militarism, stating, “We are outraged that billions of our tax dollars are being used for military aid to Israel in its genocidal war on Gaza. War kills people and the environment. We need solar and wind right now, not destructive fossil fuels and a trillion dollar a year war economy.” MVP boasts that it would supply gas to numerous military installations if the pipeline is completed.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is over budget by more than $4 billion and nearly 6 years behind schedule. The pipeline, if completed, would transport fracked gas across at least 303 miles of Appalachia. The project has a long record of environmental violations. In June 2023, the pipeline was fast-tracked by Congress, despite local residents voicing their opposition and concerns. Over the last few months, Mountain Valley Pipeline has escalated its legal intimidation of pipeline fighters, filing multiple Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP suits) and collaborating with local law enforcement to charge protesters with erroneous felonies in order to discourage resistance. The legal intimidation has failed to stop protestors.