West Virginia activists protesting the Mountain Valley pipeline are being hit with serious criminal and civil charges under a new law that increases penalties for those opposing fossil fuel infrastructure projects.
Nina Lakhani and Hilary Beaumont report for The Guardian.
In short:
- Climate activists protesting the Mountain Valley pipeline face charges under a West Virginia law that punishes protests against critical infrastructure with harsh penalties.
- More than 50 activists have been arrested, and many face both jail time and lawsuits from pipeline companies seeking damages.
- The fossil fuel industry is backing these laws to suppress protests as the environmental movement grows.
Key quote:
“Legal intimidation is a tactic that’s designed to scare folks and incapacitate the movement.”
— Pipeline resistance organizer
Why this matters:
As governments fail to address the climate crisis, anti-protest laws target activists who challenge fossil fuel projects, limiting free speech and public dissent. This suppression risks hindering necessary action on environmental threats.
Related: This is what Indigenous resistance to fracking looks like in Pennsylvania
