Activist News Roundup #10
A monthly curated collection of climate activism news, protests, public marches, direct actions, and related court cases. We are regularly inspired by the creative and courageous resistance we see around the globe, and we hope that gathering the stories here will keep you motivated, informed and connected.
Appeals court allows necessity defense in pipeline protest
Associated Press; Steve Karnowski; Apr 23, 2018
Four protesters can present an unusual “necessity defense” against criminal charges stemming from efforts to shut down two Enbridge Energy oil pipelines, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday. Emily Johnston and Annette Klapstein acknowledge that they turned the emergency shut-off valves on two pipelines on Oct. 11, 2016, in Clearwater County of northwestern Minnesota. It was part of a coordinated action by Climate Direct Action activists to shut down five pipelines that carry tar sands crude from Canada to the United States in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington state. A total of 11 activists were charged.
A Massive Pipeline is being Planned in Oregon. But Local Landowners Won’t Go Down Without a Fight.
Pacific Standard; Kate Wheeling; April 12, 2018
Gow and McLaughlin are two of more than 200 landowners whose property the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline would directly cross. Many of them have been fighting the project for well over a decade. The plan calls for the pipeline to snake for 229 miles across southern Oregon, spanning all the way west from the tiny inland town of Malin, to an export facility named Jordan Cove LNG in the port of Coos Bay, a coastal city of about 16,000. From there, the natural gas would be compressed into a liquid and shipped to Asian markets. The export facility and pipeline, together called the Jordan Cove Energy Project, exist only on paper for now. But its developers hope to be operational by 2024.
‘Kinder Morgan blinked’: Cross-Canada pipeline on hold because of opposition
Seattle Times; Lynda V. Mapes; April 8, 2018
Kinder Morgan announced Sunday it is suspending the cross-Canada Trans Mountain Pipeline except for “essential” spending, pending a decision by May 31 to kill or proceed with the controversial project. The Houston-based energy firm has proposed a more-than-700-mile-long pipeline from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C., intended to nearly triple the transport of bitumen oil from Canada’s interior to the coast to 890,000 barrels a day. But the company in a statement Sunday said opposition to the project, particularly by the government of British Columbia, has put completion of the project in doubt.
Jordan Cove LNG Has Its Own Division In Coos County Sheriff’s Office
The World; Nicholas A. Johnson; March 5, 2018
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office plans to hire nine new employees starting in July to fill out its combined service unit with Jordan Cove LNG. LNG division deputies, although funded by Jordan Cove LNG, will be employed by the Coos County Sheriff’s Office. Even though the Jordan Cove LNG facility has not yet been approved, finding qualified applicants and getting them trained does take a lot of time. According to County Sheriff Craig Zanni, it could take between three and five years to get the LNG division fully staffed and trained.
Compiled by Nicole Metildi