The FBI defines eco-terrorism as: “the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally-oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature.” Unfortunately, that definition perfectly describes a recent instance in the Commonwealth.
After a Saturday night fire targeted the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in Pittsylvania County, it is clear that eco-terrorism is prevalent in Southwest Virginia. GoDanRiver reports that $500,000 in damage was levied against equipment at a site along where the path of the MVP is set to be laid, with the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office stating that the situation is now being investigated as arson.
A press release from the office states:
“On Saturday, 2 February 2019 at 11:00 PM a passerby reported to the Pittsylvania County 911 Center that a vehicle was on fire in the 2900 block of Grassland Drive in the Smith Mountain community. Upon arrival of fire and Sheriff’s personnel it was found that the fire was a piece of earth moving equipment. The equipment was located on the site of the Mountain Valley Pipeline construction right-of-way. The Caterpillar PL 87 sustained approximately $500,000 in damage. Fire Marshall’s have concluded the fire was intentionally set. There were no injuries and no other equipment was damaged by the fire. The Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Fire Marshall in the investigation.”
Reportedly, the day prior, a woman identified as Emma Howell had locked herself in a “horizontal drill” on the Climax site in protest of the 300-mile-long pipeline, temporarily halting construction. Although eight other protesters joined in support, law enforcement officers removed Howell from the drill and took her into custody, charging her with criminal trespassing.
Nevertheless, this is not the first instance of eco-terrorism affecting the construction of pipelines in Virginia.
In May 2018, vandalism on pipeline sites began, with the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) spray painting “WE WILL WIN” on a storage container.
As more lampooned tree protests ensued, however, graffiti turned to threats of using tree spikes to harm pipeline workers, similar to tactics employed by radical environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Earth First!
Since equipment is now being set on fire to derail a project that would allow Virginia, and indeed the United States to achieve energy independence, what will come next? Will workers be attacked? Worse than that?
With Green Antifa accepting Kremlin-backed Russian money to fight Dominion Energy, the Commonwealth’s largest energy provider, an issue that Congress has delved into, it is clear that protesters may not just want to save birds, bees, and trees, but may have a more sinister agenda.
Considering Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) pushed legislation in the 2018 General Assembly session to make domestic terrorism a state crime and even make it illegal for citizens with ties to domestic terrorism groups to conduct a meeting, will he condemn the increasing instances of violence and pursue charges?
