Charges dropped against activists protesting Louisiana pipeline

Environmental groups celebrated Tuesday as they announced that District Attorney Bofill “Bo” Duhé, chief prosecutor in St. Martin, Iberia and St. Mary Parishes, rejected all charges against 17 people who were charged with crimes in 2018 for violating a law making it a felony to be at or near pipelines or construction sites without permission.

The Louisiana Legislature amended the state’s critical infrastructure law in 2018 to include pipelines as critical infrastructure. That meant environmentalists protesting at pipeline sites could be sentenced up to five years in prison.

The week after the new law went into effect, three Bayou Bridge Pipeline protesters were arrested and charged while kayaking near the site. Cindy Spoon, Sophia Cook-Phillips and Eric Moll. Over the next two months, 14 others were charged with similar felonies.

Some of those who were arrested challenged the constitutionality of the law, saying that the law was vague, violated their due process and the First Amendment. Louisiana has more than 125,000 miles of pipelines, most of which are underground and not visible. Additionally, some of the arrests were made on property that the pipeline company was trespassing on, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which says it works with “communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications.” Other arrests were made by law enforcement officers moonlighting for a private security company hired by Bayou Bridge Pipeline, the CCR said.

Read more: https://lailluminator.com/2021/07/13/charges-dropped-against-activists-protesting-louisiana-pipeline/