Bill making it a felony to protest against pipelines or other fossil fuel projects

Like I'm going to sympathize with an idiot editor who also founded a
single payer health care for america website?

No thanks. Lock those smelly unwashed anti-pipeline protesters up and throw away the key.

Besides, WV is coal country. Why would Big Coal even care about gas pipelines?
 
Like I'm going to sympathize with an idiot editor who also founded a
single payer health care for america website?

No thanks. Lock those smelly unwashed anti-pipeline protesters up and throw away the key.
No doubt pipelines are needed but as property owners we are supposed to have certain right guaranteed. These pipeline companies are irresponsible and need to be limited on what they can and can't do. They put in pipelines and when the end life comes for those lines they do not replace them they sell the companies to another named corp and then continue on without fulfilling their duties to protect the public or the land owners whose land they took over. Their pipelines can utterly destroy the land that they run across without full liability. Nope we should all have the absolute right to peacefully protest whatever we feel is unjust.
 
A clear and an obvious violation of the First Amendment and the right to associate.
 
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Like I'm going to sympathize with an idiot editor who also founded a
single payer health care for america website?

No thanks. Lock those smelly unwashed anti-pipeline protesters up and throw away the key.

Besides, WV is coal country. Why would Big Coal even care about gas pipelines?

The article specifically mentions "other fossil fual projects".

And people should have a voice. I hate that protestors cause problems for fossil fuel companies. But those people deserve the right to voice their grievances.
 
A clear and an obvious violation of the First Amendment and the right to associate.

The article didn't link to the actual wording of the law, which makes me think that this doesn't impact protesting, it just changes trespass onto property owned by said companies with regards to impeding the work of said companies from a misdemeanor to a felony.
 
Like I'm going to sympathize with an idiot editor who also founded a
single payer health care for america website?

No thanks. Lock those smelly unwashed anti-pipeline protesters up and throw away the key.

Besides, WV is coal country. Why would Big Coal even care about gas pipelines?

The article specifically mentions "other fossil fual projects".

And people should have a voice. I hate that protestors cause problems for fossil fuel companies. But those people deserve the right to voice their grievances.

Is this about protesting outside the fence of the property being worked on, or actually interfering with the work being done?

Sorry, but if you believe in your cause enough to disrupt the work being done, then you should have the conviction to take your punishment, serve your sentence and do it again.
 
Like I'm going to sympathize with an idiot editor who also founded a
single payer health care for america website?

No thanks. Lock those smelly unwashed anti-pipeline protesters up and throw away the key.

Besides, WV is coal country. Why would Big Coal even care about gas pipelines?

The article specifically mentions "other fossil fual projects".

And people should have a voice. I hate that protestors cause problems for fossil fuel companies. But those people deserve the right to voice their grievances.

ok.
 
West Virginia Legislation Would Make Civil Disobedience Against Gas Pipelines a Felony

Big oil spending money to buy politicians to avoid being held responsible.


Any WV politicians that vote for this legislation should be removed next election (or sooner).
No one is going to jail for speaking their mind. What you cant do is fuck with pipelines by chaining yourself to their equipment, blocking their vehicles from coming and going, and otherwise shutting down their business. You deserve jail time if you do that shit.
 
The actual text of the original version of the law:

HB 4615 Text

(c)(1) Any person who willfully and knowingly trespasses or enters property containing a critical infrastructure facility without permission by the owner of the property or lawful occupant thereof is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500, or confined in jail not less than 30 days nor more than one year, or both fined and confined. If the intent of the trespasser is to willfully damage, destroy, vandalize, deface, tamper with equipment, or impede or inhibit operations of the critical infrastructure facility, the person is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $1,000 or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than three years, or both fined and imprisoned.

(2) Any person who willfully damages, destroys, vandalizes, defaces or tampers with equipment in a critical infrastructure facility is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $2,000 or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a term of not less than one year nor more than five years, or both fined and imprisoned.

(3) Any person or organization who conspires with any person or organization to commit the offense of trespass against a critical infrastructure facility in violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an amount of not less than $5,000. Any person or organization who conspires with any person or organization to willfully damage, destroy, vandalize, deface or tamper with equipment in a critical infrastructure facility is guilty of a felony and, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not less than $10,000.

(d)(1) Any person who is arrested for or convicted of an offense under this section may be held civilly liable for any damages to personal or real property while trespassing, in addition to the penalties imposed by this section.

(2) Any person or entity that compensates, provides consideration to or remunerates a person for trespassing as described in subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section may also be held liable for damages to personal or real property committed by the person compensated or remunerated for trespassing.

So basically trespassing on one of these facilities is still a misdemeanor, but if you start breaking things you are going to be charged with a felony, and the owner can go after you for restitution.
 
A clear and an obvious violation of the First Amendment and the right to associate.

The article didn't link to the actual wording of the law, which makes me think that this doesn't impact protesting, it just changes trespass onto property owned by said companies with regards to impeding the work of said companies from a misdemeanor to a felony.

There are already laws/penalties for trespass and destruction of private property in West Virginia. This heavy-handed bullshit was crafted by lobbyists and their cronies masquerading as delegates.

Not too long ago quite a few coal miners were protesting by blocking the rails, should be have been charged with felonies and locked up?
 
The actual text of the original version of the law:

HB 4615 Text

(c)(1) Any person who willfully and knowingly trespasses or enters property containing a critical infrastructure facility without permission by the owner of the property or lawful occupant thereof is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500, or confined in jail not less than 30 days nor more than one year, or both fined and confined. If the intent of the trespasser is to willfully damage, destroy, vandalize, deface, tamper with equipment, or impede or inhibit operations of the critical infrastructure facility, the person is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $1,000 or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than three years, or both fined and imprisoned.

(2) Any person who willfully damages, destroys, vandalizes, defaces or tampers with equipment in a critical infrastructure facility is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $2,000 or imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a term of not less than one year nor more than five years, or both fined and imprisoned.

(3) Any person or organization who conspires with any person or organization to commit the offense of trespass against a critical infrastructure facility in violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an amount of not less than $5,000. Any person or organization who conspires with any person or organization to willfully damage, destroy, vandalize, deface or tamper with equipment in a critical infrastructure facility is guilty of a felony and, shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not less than $10,000.

(d)(1) Any person who is arrested for or convicted of an offense under this section may be held civilly liable for any damages to personal or real property while trespassing, in addition to the penalties imposed by this section.

(2) Any person or entity that compensates, provides consideration to or remunerates a person for trespassing as described in subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section may also be held liable for damages to personal or real property committed by the person compensated or remunerated for trespassing.

So basically trespassing on one of these facilities is still a misdemeanor, but if you start breaking things you are going to be charged with a felony, and the owner can go after you for restitution.
If the pipeline was granted an easement which did not come from the original owner who has the right to determine trespass the deeded property owner or the utility company? The utility company claims ownership without actually ever owning the land or getting permission from the deeded land owner?
 

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