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Pipelines

I Shut Down An Oil Pipeline

November 26, 2017 Emily Johnston, www.theguardian.com , ,
By Emily Johnston for the Guardian. A little over a year ago, four friends and I shut down all five pipelines carrying tar sands crude oil into the United States by using emergency shut-off valves. As recent months have made clear, climate change is not only an imminent threat; it is an existing catastrophe. It’s going to get worse, and tar sands oil—the dirtiest oil on Earth—is one of the reasons. We did this very, very carefully—after talking to pipeline engineers, and doing our own research. Before we touched a thing, we called the pipeline companies twice to warn them, and let them turn off the pipelines themselves if they thought that was better; all of them did so. We knew we were at risk for years in prison. But the nation needs to wake up now to what’s coming our way if we don’t reduce emissions boldly and fast; business as usual is now genocidal.

South Dakota Warns It Could Revoke Pipeline Permit

November 26, 2017 Phil McKenna, www.insideclimatenews.org , , ,
By Phil McKenna for Inside Climate News. South Dakota regulators said they could revoke TransCanada's permit for the 7-year-old Keystone Pipeline if an investigation into a large oil spill discovered last week concludes the company violated its terms. If that happens, the company would have to correct any issues—in the worst case, even replace part of the pipeline—before oil shipments could resume. The scrutiny comes as more challenges emerge to the company's recently approved expansion of its pipeline system: the Keystone XL. On Nov. 16, TransCanada reported that 210,000 gallons, or 5,000 barrels, of oil had spilled from its existing Keystone Pipeline near Amherst, South Dakota, and that it had shut down the pipeline in response.

Judge Orders Removal Of Gas Pipeline From Native American Property

November 25, 2017 Staff, nativefire.blogspot.com , ,
By Staff of Native Americans News - In a decisive victory for Native American rights, a federal judge just ordered an energy company to completely remove a natural gas pipeline. The Free Thought Project Seventeen years after the expiration of an easement, a federal judge has ordered an energy company to completely remove its pipeline from the properties of 38 Native American landowners — none of whom have been compensated for the company’s use of their land since the year 2000. Now, the pipeline company will have just six months to dismantle and completely remove the structure. “Having carefully reviewed the parties’ submissions, and in light of the facts and circumstances in this case,” Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange wrote in the 10-page decision for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, “the court finds that a permanent injunction should be entered in this case. Specifically, it is plaintiffs’ interests in the exclusive possession of their land which has been invaded by the presence of the pipeline and defendants’ continued use of the pipeline. “Further, Defendants have continued to use the pipeline and although they were advised by the [Bureau of Indian Affairs] on March 23, 2010, more than five and a half years before the instant action was filed, that ‘[i]f valid approval of a right of way for this tract is not timely secured, Enogex should be directed to move the pipeline off the subject property’ …”

Jury Convicts ‘Valve Turner’ Leonard Higgins On Both Counts

November 24, 2017 Bennett Hall, gazettetimes.com , , , ,
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 , ,
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 , , ,
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 , ,
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 , ,
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 , ,
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 , ,
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 , , ,
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 , , ,
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 , , ,
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 , , , ,
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 , ,
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.
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