Statement: Pipeline Opponents Admit to Property Damage

Yesterday, the online blog Philly Anti-Capitalist freely admitted to damaging private property as part of their opposition to pipeline infrastructure development, saying: “… we approached several excavators and a flat bed truck on an active [Mariner East 2] construction site in Media, PA and filled their fuel tanks and other liquid receptors with sand and sugar.” While some may argue whether such an action is intended to cause damage, the post answers that by saying: “… we recommend removing the filter just beneath it before pouring in these abrasives, for maximum damage to the whole machine.”

Philly Anti-Capitalist stated that they “take this action in solidarity with Camp White Pine,” which according to its Facebook page is “a forest defense camp resisting Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 Pipeline.” Camp White Pine is another name for a group of infrastructure opponents, including Ellen and Elise Gerhart, who filed a lawsuit against law enforcement in U.S. District Court on Monday, despite their own admitted illicit actions.

You can read the entire Philly Anti-Capitalist post here: https://phlanticap.noblogs.org/action-against-mariner-east-2-pipeline/

Please find a statement from the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance in response to this post. Feel free to quote me, Kurt Knaus, as PEIA spokesman:

Statement:

“There is no place in civil society for groups to take illegal and harmful action because they disagree with something on ideological grounds. Opponents of needed pipeline infrastructure have taken their opposition to new levels in recent years and the tactics they are now employing should be disturbing to everyone. Freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to sue law enforcement for upholding the law or to damage private property. These most recent actions by opponents to energy infrastructure have crossed the line of legal standards.”

Kurt Knaus, Spokesman
Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance
P: 717-571-5687
Harrisburg, Pa.

PEIA is a broad-based coalition of labor, agriculture, manufacturing and other business interests statewide that support private investment in pipeline and other energy infrastructure developments.