Pipelines

Jury Convicts ‘Valve Turner’ Leonard Higgins On Both Counts

November 24, 2017 Bennett Hall, gazettetimes.com Resist! Activists, Environment, Montana, Pipelines, Protests

By Bennett Hall for Corvallis Gazette-Times - FORT BENTON, Mont. — A Montana jury took just one hour to find climate activist Leonard Higgins guilty of misdemeanor trespassing and felony criminal mischief on Wednesday for his role in the “valve turner” protest that briefly shut down the flow of Canadian crude through pipelines in four U.S. states last year. The 65-year-old former Corvallis resident is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 2 by Judge Daniel Boucher in Chouteau County District Court. He faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the criminal mischief count. The 12-person jury could have found Higgins guilty of a lesser charge but determined that his actions caused more than $1,500 in damage to the pipeline’s owner, Spectra Energy (now Enbridge Corp.), making the criminal mischief a felony offense. Higgins’ lead defense attorney, Herman Watson IV of Bozeman, said his client intends to appeal the verdict to the Montana Supreme Court. “That’s always been the plan, and we already have the appeal written,” Watson said. Like his four fellow valve turners, Higgins had hoped to employ a necessity defense, which would have allowed him to argue that his crimes were justified by the imminent danger to humanity of climate change caused by burning fossil fuels. Boucher denied that motion, saying that “the energy policy of the United States is not on trial.”

Case Hinges On Amount Of Damage Caused By Corvallis Activist

November 23, 2017 Bennett Hall, gazettetimes.com Resist! Courts, Montana, Pipelines

By Bennett Hall for Corvallis Gazette-Times - FORT BENTON, Mont. — Leonard Higgins admits he broke into a remote Montana control facility in October 2016 and turned an emergency shutoff valve on the Spectra Express pipeline. But exactly how much harm did he do? That was the central question during the opening day of his trial on trespassing and criminal mischief charges, which began Tuesday in Chouteau County District Court in Fort Benton, Montana. The 65-year-old former Corvallis resident was one of five “valve turners” who took part in a coordinated action last year to close down oil pipelines in four states to dramatize what they call a climate change emergency. If Higgins is convicted of trespassing — which he admits to doing — he could face up to a year in jail. The criminal mischief charge, however, is a felony count that could earn him a much longer sentence — up to a decade in the Montana State Prison. But under Montana law, the state must prove Higgins caused more than $1,500 in damage to get a felony conviction. Chouteau County Attorney Steven Gannon says he did. In his opening statement on Tuesday, Gannon noted that Higgins used bolt cutters to cut through four steel chains and a padlock to enter the fenced enclosure and free the wheel that operates the emergency shutoff valve, damaging an actuator cover in the process.

Accident At Compressor Station Fuels More Pipeline Concerns

November 22, 2017 Rev. Mac Legerton, www.popularresistance.org Educate! compressor station, Oil and Gas, Pipelines, Safety

By Reverend Mac Legerton of the North Carolina Alliance To Protect Our People and the Places We Live. Prospect, North Carolina - As reported in the ROBESONIAN, Jennifer Sharpe, a communication specialist with Piedmont Natural Gas, stated that the accidental leak caused by a malfunctioning valve at the Prospect Compressor Station in Robeson County was detected at about 3:40 AM on Tuesday at the Natural Gas Control Room at the company’s headquarters in Charlotte. She stated that the situation was never unsafe and no local emergency personnel were called to the Compressor Station. The leak was finally stopped at 5:00 am.

Divest Black Friday

November 22, 2017 Staff, mazaskatalks.org Resist! Black Friday, Divestment, Pipelines

By Staff of Mazaska Talks - Keystone I just leaked 210,000 gallons of oil on the Sisseton Wahpeton Reservation; Nebraska just approved Keystone XL; First Nations in British Columbia are building tiny houses in the pathway of Trans Mountain; and Enbridge has loaded the state of Minnesota with pipe, even though Minnesota hasn’t approved Line 3 yet. Hundreds of indigenous people have formed camps and occupations of spaces in the paths of these pipelines, with dozens of arrests already. Treaties are remarked as Supreme law of the land in Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, yet law enforcement is protecting and serving oil corporations instead of the constitution. Wall Street clearly hasn’t learned their lesson from the #NoDAPL movement, as they continue to finance these repressive corporations. So, we’re getting together this Takesgiving to remind them...

Monopod Blocks Tree Clearing & Construction Of Pipeline In PA

November 22, 2017 Staff, earthfirstjournal.org Resist! Activism, Pennsylvania, Pipelines

By Staff of Earth First! Newswire - A monopod has been erected to block the heavy machinery that is currently clearing and chipping trees in South Central Pennsylvania to make way for Energy Transfer Partners’ (ETP) Mariner East 2 pipeline. The monopod—which is made out of a tree that ETP cut down last year—is currently about 200 feet from the encroaching heavy equipment. This action is being carried out by Camp White Pine in South Central Pennsylvania. Camp White Pine has been physically blocking pipeline construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline since February, and the Gerhart family, whose property the camp is on, has been resisting the pipeline project since 2015. The treesits that activists have been occupying for months are located on the west end of the property, while this new monopod blockade is on the east end. This latest phase of cutting and clearing off the east end of the property began in late October and has been moving closer to the camp each day.

Call To Action: ‘Promise To Protect’ Join Resistance Against Keystone Pipeline

November 21, 2017 Staff, nokxlpromise.org Resist! Keystone XL, Pipelines, Protests

By Staff of No KXL Promise - State authorities in Nebraska just approved a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline – but along a different path than the original route TransCanada wanted. We’re still determining exactly what this re-route means, but we know one thing for sure: this pipeline can’t be built. Our allies in Nebraska will challenge this decision, and they’re confident the pipeline will never get built. But the rest of us are out of agencies or governments to appeal to–instead, we’ve got to rely on each other. Together we’ve stopped them for many years, and we are going to keep stopping them. But we need everyone’s help. We need you to take a stand no matter what land you live or work on. The struggle to save Mother Earth begins with you. In fact, we need everyone’s help to do something hard: sign up today to commit to creative peaceful resistance along the pipeline route when called upon by frontline leaders, likely next spring. When the time to resist comes, you’ll get an invite from leaders along the route–in particular the leaders from the Dakotas. If you can’t come to the upper Midwest to help, we still need you, and there will be other ways to engage from where you live. We — Indigenous leaders, farmers and ranchers, students, scientists, faith leaders, and more — will make a series of peaceful stands along the proposed pipeline route; resolute displays of our continuing opposition to a plan that endangers the waters of the Midwest and the climate of our one earth. Water is life; climate is life–those will be our rallying cries against a project that will endanger both.

Five More Pipeline Protesters Arrested

November 20, 2017 Steve Marroni, pennlive.com Resist! Pipelines, Protesters Arrested, Protests

By Steve Marroni for Penn Live - Five more members of the Lancaster Against Pipelines organization were arrested on Saturday, bringing the total number of arrests to 45. The organization said on Sunday these five protesters, who include one minor, are the latest to oppose the construction of the Williams Partners Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, which is being constructed through Lancaster County. The five were arrested in Martic Township by stopping construction on Martic Heights as they sat in front of a working backhoe, according to the group. This follows the arrest of three on Tuesday, as well as previous protests that resulted in arrests in October. A court order filed by protestors had temporarily halted work, but the stay was removed by the court Nov. 8. The pipeline will ship natural gas across 183 miles of Pennsylvania, connecting gas-producing regions in the northeast to customers in the mid-Atlantic and the South.

Keystone Leak Will Not Be Considered In Approval Of Pipeline

November 19, 2017 Grant Schulte and James Nord, www.AP.org Educate! Environment, Fracking, KXL pipeline, Pipelines

By Grant Schulte and James Nord for The Associated Press. Nebraska lawmakers gave the five-member commission the power to regulate major oil pipelines in 2011 in response to a public outcry over the pipeline and its potential impact on the Sandhills, an ecologically fragile region of grass-covered sand dunes. But when they passed the law, legislators argued that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility and should not factor in the state decision. Opponents of Keystone XL are incensed that the leak won't be considered. "There is a reason TransCanada and the big oil lobby did not want this information on the record," said Jane Kleeb, director of the Bold Alliance, a coalition of groups that have opposed the Keystone XL for nearly a decade.

Black Snake Killaz: A #NoDAPL Story

November 19, 2017 Unicorn Riot, www.unicornriot.ninja Resist! #NoDAPL, Oil and Gas, Pipelines, Police violence

By Unicorn Riot. Black Snake Killaz is a feature-length documentary film about the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. This film explores actions taken by water protectors to stop the construction of the oil pipeline and highlights actions taken by law enforcement, military, and corporate mercenaries to quell the months-long protest. Black Snake Killaz timelines the historical events that unfolded in Standing Rock throughout 2016 and brings you the raw experience from many frontline actions to protect the water. Although the Dakota Access Pipeline is completed, the impact of the movement will be long-lasting.

FERC Meeting Disrupted By Celebrity Actor and Pipeline Protester

November 17, 2017 Resist! BXE, FERC, New York (NY), Pipelines

By Melinda Tuhus for Beyond Extreme Energy. Protesters were removed from today’s monthly Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) meeting after speaking out against the commission’s controversial effort to force the construction of the Millennium Valley Lateral Pipeline, even without securing the required New York 401 Water Quality Certificate. The protest was led by Actor James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential, The Green Mile, Six Feet Under) and Pramilla Malick, chair of the New-York-based group “Protect Orange County.” Both were removed from the building. Green America, the nation’s leading green economy organization, and Seeding Sovereignty, an anti-fracking group, also participated in the action. The pipeline project would require the installation of approximately 7.8 miles of 16 inch lateral pipeline between Millennium’s mainline and the CPV Valley Energy Center in Orange County, New York. FERC’s controversial efforts to force legal authorization for the pipeline are especially dangerous because they could establish a very bad precedent.

Water Protectors Shut Down Pipeline Construction In Wisconsin

November 16, 2017 Staff of Makwa Iniative, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Blockade, Indigenous Resistance, Indigenous Rights, Lockdown, Pipelines

By Staff from Makwa Initaitive. Water Protectors from the Makwa Initiative halted the last piece of construction for the Wisconsin section of Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 pipeline project. Two water protectors locked themselves to construction equipment halting work at the site. Police arrived approximately 15minutes after the lockdown began. At this time there are 2 Water Protectors known to be under arrest in Superior, WI and 2 Water Protectors still locked onto machinery. A water protector stated, “We have attended public hearings, marches, and rallies. At this point we feel like the only way we can make are voices heard is by locking our bodies to the equipment. The state has recorded our comments, catalogued them, and say they factor them into their decision on whether or not to permit the project. We want them to stop expanding tar sands infrastructure. We need to be thinking about our children’s futures.”

Ousted Standing Rock Leader On Pipeline Protest That Almost Succeeded

November 14, 2017 Phil McKenna, insideclimatenews.org Resist! Pipelines, Protests, Standing Rock

By Phil McKenna for Inside Climate News - Dave Archambault II led the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe through an emotional year and a half as the tribe and its supporters nearly stopped the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Almost a year ago, they were celebrating after persuading President Barack Obama to effectively shelve the construction plan. Yet, today, the pipeline carries crude oil beneath the Missouri River, just upstream from the Standing Rock reservation. For a while, it looked like Standing Rock would achieve the impossible. The tribe's opposition drew thousands to what was arguably the largest demonstration of tribal sovereignty and call for environmental justice in history as Archambault, the tribal chairman, pleaded his case before members of Congress and the United Nations. In early December, the Obama administration called for a more thorough environmental review that would take years to complete. The review was never carried out. President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for work on the pipeline to be expedited soon after his January inauguration. Archambault was vilified by members of his tribe who suffered economic fallout from the protests on a reservation already plagued by poverty. When the chairman urged the protesters to go home, they accused Archambault of selling out. In September, Archambault lost his bid for re-election to an opponent who said it was time to move on.

Newsletter – People Act Where US Fails On Climate

November 12, 2017 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Climate Change, climate crisis, COP23, Energy, Food and Agriculture, health, Oil and Gas, Pipelines, Poverty, Refugees, Renewable Energy

By Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese. The climate crisis is upon us. It seems that every report on climate conditions has one thing in common: things are worse than predicted. The World Meteorological Report from the end of October shows that Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) are rising at a rapid rate and have passed 400 parts per million. According to Dr. Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, "the changes we’re making today are occurring in 100 years, whereas in nature they occur in 10,000 years." The United States is experiencing a wide range of climate impacts from major hurricanes in the South to unprecedented numbers of wildfires in the West to crop-destroying drought in the Mid-West.

Activists Paint Anti-Pipeline Mural Outside Wells Fargo

November 10, 2017 Nuala Sawyer, earthfirstjournal.org Resist! Art, Pipelines, Protests, Wells Fargo

By Nuala Sawyer of Earth First - The Wells Fargo and Co. headquarters at 420 Montgomery St. had a colorful awakening Monday afternoon, as hundreds of activists armed with paint created a large mural on the pavement outside. The group successfully shut the street down around noon, and in the span of about two hours, painted a 35-foot blue and black “thunderbird woman” on the asphalt, with “Water is Life!” emblazoned across the top. “It was kind of a collaboration between a whole bunch of people,” Northern Ontario-based artist Isaac Murdoch tells SF Weekly. “We’ve talked about coming down to the area for a while, so we put some feelers out.” Those feelers resulted in collaborations between Bay Area group Idle No More, 350.org, and members of Greenpeace. Someone loaned Murdoch and his crew a warehouse to make their stencil, and “it came together quite easily,” he says. Murdoch and arts collective Onaman have done their fair share of art around the country, in Standing Rock and at other locations, but this was the first piece they’d painted on the street. And they had lots, and lots, of help. Around 200 people turned out for the event — more than Murdoch had anticipated. “It was the people that made this really beautiful. We were just this one big family — even just for an hour and a half. It’s really really cool. It was all sorts of people, all different kinds. We were singing songs, we were so glad to be there. It was phenomenal.”

Environmentalists Gaining Enemy In Fight Against Natural Gas Pipelines

November 7, 2017 Mark Hand, thinkprogress.org Educate! Clean Energy, Environmental Justice, Fossil Fuels, Pipelines

By Mark Hand for Think Progress - The electric utility sector’s top lobbying group is teaming up with fossil fuel trade associations as part of an effort to intensify the industry’s campaign against citizen and environmental groups opposed to fracking and new natural gas pipelines. A senior official at the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) said at a recent conference in Pittsburgh that her trade group has grown “very aware of the ‘Keep It in the Ground’ movement” as its member companies have become more reliant on natural gas. These activists are opposed to the extraction of all fossil fuels, not just coal, said Karen Obenshain, senior director of fuels, technology, and commercial policy, according to Matt Kasper, research director at the Energy and Policy Institute, who attended the conference. (Kasper worked at the Center for American Progress from 2012-2014. ThinkProgress is an editorially independent project of CAP.) From Keystone XL to Dakota Access to ongoing efforts to curtail oil and gas drilling, anti-fossil fuel activists caught the attention of energy companies and their representatives in Washington years ago. Aside from only a small number of victories, however, the activists have largely been unable to stop pipelines or slow down fracking. And yet the gas industry isn’t taking any chances; it wants to ensure its winning percentage remains strong.

«1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 »

Daily movement news and resources