Quote:
Originally Posted by crockett
This is the authoritarian regime Republicans crave.. I saw this a few weeks ago but didn't think it had a chance to pas even in Texas because you know Texans claim, they are all for "land owner rights"..
Guess not anymore not so long as big oil has it's say..
Yet another unconstitutional law passed by Republicons, they passed a law saying it's now illegal to protest oil pipelines..
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup...6R&Bill=HB3557
https://grist.org/article/texans-cou...heir-own-land/
The fight against a Texas pipeline just got a little more challenging. On Monday, the Texas Senate passed legislation that makes interfering with pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure a crime punishable by up to a year in prison and $10,000 in fines. And just the “intent to impair or interrupt” operations could still cost you a $4,000 fine and a year behind bars.
The new legislation raises the risk for landowners hoping to block construction of Kinder Morgan’s $2 billion, 430-mile natural gas pipeline from West Texas’ Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast. The proposed project would cut through the Hill Country, an ecologically sensitive 25-county region in Central Texas that is home to the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. |
I disagree with you on this.
Under no circumstances should anyone be allowed to interfere or interrupt construction of a oil pipeline. Or any pipeline. Or any construction site. This is just common sense.
Protesters have the right to protest. They do not, however, have the right to stop someone from doing something that is perfectly legal.
They are building a new hotel in my hometown here; It's still in the planning phase. However, a small group of people are protesting the hotel. They don't want the "crime and other activity" a hotel brings. It's been a bit of drama in our town. Tonight they are having a secret (no so secret) meeting to discuss their future plans. And that's their right. However, they have no right to protest on private property, throw things at the construction workers, or otherwise prevent them from doing their work.
I don't understand why anyone would be against a pipeline. Think it's bad for the environment? They are decades too late for that. Take a look at the map of pipelines in the United States. Your gasoline isn't trucked in by trucks from the refinery - it comes via a pipeline. As an example, all of Phoenix gets it's gas from California through one pipeline... And when that pipeline had a problem in 2003 the entire Phoenix area instantly ran out of gas.
If you want to protest, then protest. I am all for that. It's your right. But you do not have the right to interfere with someone's else life or work in the process.