Today, an amendment to the Pipeline Safety Act bill was submitted to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee that says any landowner who attempts to prevent the operation or construction of a carbon dioxide pipeline is subject to arrest, and if convicted would face up to 18 years in jail and up to a $250,000 fine.
The language of the amendment is so broad that it would apply to any landowner who seeks to prevent surveying on their property. While this broad reach may not be its intent, the amendment would nonetheless give federal law enforcement agents extraordinarily broad powers to arrest landowners who seek to defend their property rights and prevent construction of carbon dioxide pipelines.
The language clearly states that any person who attempts to disrupt or prevent the construction of a hazardous liquid pipeline (which includes CO2 pipelines) by any means could be arrested by federal agents and charged with a Class C federal felony. [1]
This language is not limited to persons who seek to or who actually physically damage pipelines. Instead, it is so broad that it could apply to landowners who seek to prevent surveying of their property, because such resistance could be seen as an attempt to prevent construction. It's even broad enough to apply to participation in zoom calls, demonstrations, state administrative hearings, or lawsuits that are related to preventing construction of a pipeline.
Landowners should not assume that federal law enforcement powers would never be turned against them.
Criminal laws should not be written so broadly that they criminalize landowner rights to defend their properties using lawful means. It is likely that this amendment will be voted on Wednesday, October 8th, by the Commerce Committee.
Landowners and concerned citizens should contact their Senators now, and alert them to this excessively broad amendment.
CALL NOW to be connected with your U.S. Senators: 855-980-2396
TELL THEM: I oppose the Pipeline Safety Act amendment that could make it a crime to refuse surveyors and organize legally to oppose a CO2 pipeline project.
*However, due to the short timeframe provided by the Commerce Committee, your comments may not be seen before a vote on Wednesday.
As it stands, the bill also offers little in the way of meaningful protections for communities impacted by carbon pipelines. Bold signed onto a letter with over 120 other organizations that highlights the bill's current lack of evidence-based CO2 pipeline safety measures required to protect communities from pipeline ruptures and mass poisoning events. [2]
You may also wish to urge your Senators to include these commonsense safety measures in the Pipeline Safety Act:
"I believe the Pipeline Safety Act bill should":
Require pipeline companies to disclose emergency response information -- like the dispersion modeling that estimates how far a CO2 plume would travel in the case of a pipeline rupture -- to first responders, oversight agencies, and the public and communities living nearby when projects are first proposed to pass through them.
Require pipeline companies to fund local emergency response preparedness and all necessary equipment.
Recognize the right of state and local governments to set zoning, routing, abandonment, and decommissioning requirements for carbon pipelines.
You can also take action (if you haven't already) by signing or sharing our petition calling on Washington to stop the federal eminent domain pipeline land grab, or our letter calling on Congress to axe the 45Q tax credit that underpins this unproven technology altogether.
Thanks for taking action to protect landowners' rights and for pipeline safety.
Emma Schmit, Organizing Director for Bold Alliance
Sent via ActionNetwork.org.
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