WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined a group of her Republican Senate colleagues in introducing the Safe and Secure Transportation of American Energy Act, legislation led by U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) that aims to protect American energy from eco-terrorists.
Current federal law applies criminal penalties for “knowingly and willfully damaging or destroying” pipelines, but eco-terrorists and other radical environmental activists exploit the law’s lack of specificity. The Safe and Secure Transportation of American Energy Act would close the legal loophole for eco-terrorists to hold them accountable.
“West Virginia is an energy producing state and pipelines are essential. This bill makes sure that there will be clear penalties for those criminals that vandalize and disrupt a pipeline’s operation. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make sure this bill is included in a pipeline safety authorization bill this year,” Senator Capito said.
BACKGROUND:
In 2018, climate activists turned emergency shut-off valves on pipelines in Minnesota, forcing the operators to turn off the pipelines to prevent damage. The activists admitted to their attack, but a judge ruled that the prosecution failed to prove damage from valve-turning. Eco-terrorist attacks like this are increasing as radical environmental activists and extremist climate change propaganda rise in influence and become more expansive in tactics and messaging.
This bill would clarify criminal penalties for “damaging and destroying” pipelines by covering “vandalizing, tampering with, disrupting the operation or construction of, or preventing the operation or construction of” pipelines.
This simple clarification would hold eco-terrorists accountable. It would also provide an important deterrent by sending a strong signal that brazen assaults on critical American energy infrastructure will not be tolerated.
Read the full bill text HERE.
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