Crime

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    AIM Pipeline Criminal Trespassers Arraigned in NY Town Court

    handcuffsSpectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project is an $876 million expansion of the existing Algonquin pipeline system that will carry 342 million cubic feet (MMcf) of natural gas per day to New England states that badly need the gas. On March 3, 2015 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued their final approval for the project, allowing it to go forward. Construction began last year and continues now. Two weeks ago FERC issued an order allowing part of the AIM project–in Putnam County, NY, and Fairfield County, CT–to power up and begin service. However, not all of the project is yet built. Four nutjob protesters criminally locked themselves inside a piece of pipeline in Verplanck (Westchester County), NY last week (see Part of AIM Pipeline Begins to Flow; Protesters Hide in Pipe). They were there to protest “filthy fossil fuels” like natural gas. We’re happy to report the four criminal protesters had their first court appearance yesterday in Cortlandt Town Court. We’re happy that Spectra Energy intends to be sure they are prosecuted. The really good news is that the gas is scheduled to begin flowing in November–and at that point it’s all moot. The hippie criminal protesters can go bug someone else at that point…
    Read More “AIM Pipeline Criminal Trespassers Arraigned in NY Town Court”

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    Climate Radicals Turn Terrorist, Shut Down 5 Canada-to-US Oil Pipes

    confessions of an eco-terroristWhen lunatic man-made global warming Kool-Aid drinkers feel like they’re being ignored, some of them tip over into criminal behavior in a bid to get noticed. It’s not just criminal, it’s terrorism. Terrorists were arrested Tuesday when they cut padlocks and chains at five remote flow stations (four different states) and shut down five oil pipelines coming from Canada into the United States. The terrorists turned off the valves at those stations–creating a dangerous situation. It was a direct attack against the United States and our energy infrastructure–yet it’s being treated (in the media) as, “Look at these devilish imps and what they did, aren’t they cute?” There’s nothing cute about it. The stated reason for the terrorist action is to oppose the “catastrophe of global warming.” Anti-fossil fuel madness has fully metastasized in their rather small brains…
    Read More “Climate Radicals Turn Terrorist, Shut Down 5 Canada-to-US Oil Pipes”

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    Part of AIM Pipeline Begins to Flow; Protesters Hide in Pipe

    map_algonquin_full
    Click for larger version

    Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project is an $876 million expansion of the existing Algonquin pipeline system that will carry 342 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to New England states that badly need the gas. On March 3, 2015 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued their final approval for the project, allowing it to go forward. Construction began last year and continues now. Earlier this year NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo tried to stop work on the pipeline (see Gov. Cuomo Asks FERC to Halt Algonquin Pipeline Near Nuke Plant). A few months later NY’s lib Dem senators got in on the act (see NY’s 2 Radical Senators Call for Halt in Building Algonquin Pipeline). We’re happy to report none of the above efforts to stop AIM succeeded. Last week FERC issued an order allowing part of the AIM project–in Putnam County, NY, and Fairfield County, CT–to power up and begin service. However, not all of the project is yet built. Four nutjob protesters criminally locked themselves inside a piece of pipeline in Verplanck (Westchester County), NY yesterday. They were there to protest “filthy fossil fuels” like natural gas…
    Read More “Part of AIM Pipeline Begins to Flow; Protesters Hide in Pipe”

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    23 Pipeline Protesters Arrested for Blocking VA Governor Mansion

    Mountain Valley Pipeline proposed route
    Mountain Valley Pipeline proposed route – click for larger version

    A group of hippies–young hippies to old hippies–got tired of just parading like horses rear-ends for three days in front of the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Virginia and decided they’d like to go to jail instead. The group of so-called protesters, people there at the bidding of the radical Chesapeake Climate Network, were there to protest against fossil fuels. Specifically they don’t want to see the Mountain Valley Pipeline built–a $3.5 billion, 301-mile pipeline that will run from Wetzel County, WV to the Transco Pipeline in Pittsylvania County, VA. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently indicated the project is on the path to approval (see FERC Gives WV to VA Mountain Valley Pipeline Provisional Thumbs Up). The governor can’t do anything about the pipeline as it is regulated by the federal government, but you can’t teach spoiled rotten leftists about things like the rule of law. They want VA Gov. McAuliffe (a fellow Democrat) to somehow stop the pipeline. Oh, plus they wanted to get their picture in the newspaper. So the lined up like the childish babies they are to block the entrance to the governor’s mansion–and got themselves arrested…
    Read More “23 Pipeline Protesters Arrested for Blocking VA Governor Mansion”

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    Time to Start Prosecuting Towns that Pass Illegal Frack Bans?

    indictmentAs a general rule and principle, local control over decisions that affect an entire community is a good thing. Our great country as founded gives precedence to individual freedom. However, what do you do when two neighbors disagree on an important, community-changing issue? Our founding fathers wrestled with this concept and crafted an ingenious solution. If everyone in a community voted on every issue, the founding fathers recognized such a system descends into mob rule. However, in order to preserve democracy and cherished individual freedom, people should have the right to vote. Instead of voting on every issue, the founders created a system where citizens vote for small groups of representatives who act as a buffer between the “mob” and common sense/fairness for everyone–people who dedicate their time to understanding issues, how their constituents feel about those issues, and then voting in accordance with their own conscience and findings. Such a representative democracy is called a republic, which is the political system we have in the United States (NOT a straight up democracy). Even among the layers of elected representatives (local, state, federal) there is a pecking order. The founders recognized there are certain rights and issues best decided and enforced on either the federal or state level, rather than the local level. Each local community (lets call it a township) does NOT have the right to craft its own constitution and confer rights on individuals, corporations, eco-systems or any other entity. Conferring of such rights is the purview of either the federal or state government–NOT a local government. For example, in every state in the union oil and gas development is regulated by the state–not by local entities. In some states, Pennsylvania among them, zoning can affect and influence oil and gas development–where it happens, when it happens–but not control how it happens. So what if a community decides to ban oil and gas development (or pipelines, or injection wells)–in other words, “whether” such an activity happens? Such a ban is illegal. Introducing zoning regulations that result in a de facto ban is also illegal–but it’s happening in pockets across the Keystone State. Perhaps it’s time to criminally charge local representatives who pass these illegal laws (laws that trample individual property rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution) under a PA law called “official oppression.” That’s what the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association (PIOGA) is considering right now…
    Read More “Time to Start Prosecuting Towns that Pass Illegal Frack Bans?”

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    NY NatGas-Fired Electric Plant an Inside Job for Corrupt Cuomo Aide

    bribery.jpgU.S. Attorney Preet Bharara is about to claim another high-level scalp in corruption that seems to pervade New York State. Bharara has already brought cases that convicted both the Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver (a Democrat) and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (a Republican) for corruption and bribes. With each case Bharara gets closer to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Last week he got REALLY close. A former close Cuomo aide was indicted on bribery charges. The unfortunate aspect of this story is that he was bribed in connection with a project MDN has lent moral support to–a $900 million natural gas-fired electric generating plant in Orange County, NY (see Orange County, NY Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant OK’d by Judge). The power plant is being opposed by local anti-drilling ninny nannies, including Hollywood star James Cromwell. Yeah, that plant. According to charges filed by Bharara, Joseph Percoco, a 47-year-old former executive deputy secretary to Cuomo sought and got $280,000 in bribes from Competitive Power Ventures, the company building the power plant, and Percoco’s wife got a $90,000/year job from CPV to do nothing, all connected to getting the project approved and built. Crony capitalism is always disgusting–whether it’s for a good cause or not. The CPV plant planned for Orange County will be fed by Marcellus Shale gas, piped to it via the Millennium Pipeline. Is that project now in doubt?…
    Read More “NY NatGas-Fired Electric Plant an Inside Job for Corrupt Cuomo Aide”

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    NJ Anti Indicted for “Terroristic Threats” Againt PennEast Workers

    PennEast in NJ
    PennEast in NJ

    In April MDN told you about the case of an anti-driller who crossed the line into terrorism (see Anti Arrested for Terrorist Threats, Waves Gun at PennEast Workers). Three surveyors working on the PennEast Pipeline in Holland Township (Hunterdon Township), New Jersey were approached by a man with a rifle. The man asked them if they were there working on the PennEast. When the 3-man crew responded “yes,” the man waved the gun in the air, shouting at them that he would stop the pipeline. It was a clearly a menancing threat to the men who were doing nothing more than a survey. Holland Township Police later arrested Lester Kinney Jr., charging him with “making terroristic threats and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.” Although arrested for his crimes, you need an indictment (from a grand jury) in order to prosecute such a crime. The wheels of justice grind sloooooooooowly. We finally have some good news. A grand jury has indeed indicted Mr. Kinney for his criminal act. He will now either plead guilty, or go to trial…
    Read More “NJ Anti Indicted for “Terroristic Threats” Againt PennEast Workers”

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    The (Rotten) Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Al Gore Green Tree

    look at meOn June 29 a group of 26 “religious” (we use that term very loosely) radicals were arrested for stopping work on a 5-mile pipeline near Boston. We reported on one of the organizers of the crime, Tim DeChristopher (see Religious Radicals Arrested for Stopping Work on Boston Pipeline). Another person arrested that we didn’t mention was the daughter of Al Gore, Karenna Gore. Like most spoiled rotten children of privilege, Karenna isn’t happy that nobody noticed she got arrested. So, because of her star-power name, she was granted the opportunity to write an op-ed for the Boston Globe so she could tell the world, “Look at me! Look at me! ME ME ME ME”…
    Read More “The (Rotten) Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Al Gore Green Tree”

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    Marcellus Electric Line Vandalized in WV – $20K Reward Offered

    jail cellFirstEnergy is one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. FirstEnergy loves the shale industry. In April, MDN reported that FirstEnergy’s construction crews had begun erecting steel poles for a new 18-mile high voltage power line that will run through Harrison and Doddridge counties in WV (see FirstEnergy Installs $92M Electric Line in WV for Shale Industry). The new $92 million power line project will help power both processing plants and compressor stations that flow Marcellus and Utica Shale gas. In what appears to be an act of environmental vandalism (terrorism?) somebody used a cutting torch to destroy 28 anchor bolts on a foundation, preventing FirstEnergy from proceeding with their work on the project. FirstEnergy is offering a $20,000 reward to catch the sleazebag that did the deed…
    Read More “Marcellus Electric Line Vandalized in WV – $20K Reward Offered”

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    Update on Illegally Dumped Frack Waste in Kentucky Landfills

    Estill County, KYIn March MDN reported that 47 dumpsters full of concentrated frack waste from OH, PA and WV was illegally dumped in a Kentucky landfill in Estill County, KY (see Marcellus/Utica Frack Waste Illegally Dumped in Kentucky Landfill). The cuttings were buried between last July and November, near as anyone can tell. The landfill sits across the road from a school. Normal frack waste has extremely low (usually no) kind of radioactivity. But when drill cuttings are further processed and concentrated, as was the case with this series of loads, the naturally occurring radiation present can become more concentrated. Fortunately there’s no indication of a problem at the landfill: no indication that it’s leaking radioactivity into the water table, etc. But parents and residents were rightly up in arms (see Local Residents Demand KY Landfill Accepting Frack Waste Close). The hunt has been on to track down the perpetrator–but apparently he’s hard to find and not long after the story broke, he shut down the company’s website and changed the address of the company to a public library address. Yeah, something is fishy…
    Read More “Update on Illegally Dumped Frack Waste in Kentucky Landfills”

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    Religious Radicals Arrested for Stopping Work on Boston Pipeline

    handcuffsOnce again a group of so-called religious leaders, including a serial criminal, were arrested in Boston blocking work on a very short, 5-mile pipeline (West Roxbury Lateral) that will bring cheap, abundant, clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas to local residents in the Boston area. Some 26 were arrested, some of the same nutters were arrested in May (see Boston “Religious” Leaders Arrested for Blocking Pipeline Work). Of the 26 arrested at Wednesday’s protest, eight people laid down in a trench and had to be hauled out on stretchers by police. (We personally wouldn’t have been so kind.) Among the arrested was Tim DeChristopher, a criminal who previously served 15 months in prison and six months at a halfway house after that for committing fraud against the Bureau of Land Management in 2008. DeChristopher moved to Boston to attend Harvard Divinity School. Guess that says it all…
    Read More “Religious Radicals Arrested for Stopping Work on Boston Pipeline”

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    The Secret to Ending Radical Protests: Turn Off their Phones!

    turn off phoneEarlier this month MDN told you about five enviro gangsters who were arrested in Vermont for illegally chaining themselves to equipment to stop work on a new transmission pipeline–41 miles long–between Colchester to Middlebury (see Enviro Gangsters Arrested in Vermont for Stopping Pipeline Work). What we didn’t know is that one of the enviro gangsters literally went up a tree–living in a platform tied to equipment for nearly a week. Stupid is a stupid does. Police had a heck of a time trying to get this 31 year-old juvenile delinquent down from the tree. How did they finally do it? They cut access to his phone. Yep, turned it off. So he had no way to talk to his other delinquent pals at the eco-gangster group Rising Tide Vermont. That’s all it took. Once the nutter couldn’t commiserate with his homies, he flew down outta that tree…
    Read More “The Secret to Ending Radical Protests: Turn Off their Phones!”

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    OH Conventional Oil Well Driller Fined for Dumping Brine in Ditch

    jail cellWe have to confess this story completely escaped us–until now. But we think we know why. We spotted a story (below) in a Wheeling, WV newspaper about an Ohio driller who was caught–back in 2011–dumping about 50 gallons per week of brine from some of his oil wells into an open ditch in Monroe County, OH. The story implies the brine (i.e. wastewater) is from fracked wells. The story is wrong. The brine is from conventional oil wells, not fracked shale wells. The driller/operator of the wells is one Donald Hercher and he’s just been sentenced to four days in jail, two years of probation, and a $70,000 fine. Aside from setting the record straight, the reason the story interests us is because of several other aspects of Hercher’s punishment–he’s being forced to write and publish an article in three trade journals “to educate readers on the ‘Waterways of the U.S.'” and to donate $5,000 to a private organization…
    Read More “OH Conventional Oil Well Driller Fined for Dumping Brine in Ditch”

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    Jailed Ben Lupo Sued Again over OH Wastewater Dumping

    lawsuitAn update on the notorious case of illegal frack wastewater dumping near Youngstown, OH that happened in 2012 and 2013. Ben Lupo, previous owner of D&L Energy and its associated company Hardrock Excavating, directed employees to dump frack wastwater hauled by Hardrock into a drain that emptied into a stream that emptied into the Mahoning River near Youngstown, OH (see Youngstown Business Dumped >200K Gal of Untreated Wastewater). It was later discovered that from September 2012 to end of January 2013, Lupo was responsible for dumping at least 30 loads of frack wastewater literally down the drain and into the river. After an investigation and charges, in August 2014 Lupo plead guilty and was sentenced to 23 months in prison and a $25,000 fine (see Final Chapter for Youngstown Illegal Wastewater Dumper: Prison & Fine). The company itself plead guilty and was fined $100,000 in May 2015 (see Hardrock Pleads Guilty to Illegal Wastewater Dumping, Fined $100K). That should have been the end of the story. But now this: Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has filed a civil lawsuit against Ben Lupo, two of his companies and three of his employees–for more than $25,000…
    Read More “Jailed Ben Lupo Sued Again over OH Wastewater Dumping”

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    Cove Point Protester Sentenced to Jail, Lied About Police Assault

    jail cellWhen did it become “vindictive” to prosecute criminals? That’s what we’re supposed to believe about the prosecution of a radicalized, anti-fossil fuel environmentalist who was just, after nearly one and a half years, sentenced to serve 15 days in jail for lying, falsely claiming local police assaulted her. In February 2015 Heather Doyle, a radical “activist” climbed a crane at the Dominion Cove Point LNG export facility to hang a banner that said, “Dominion get out. Don’t frack Maryland. No gas exports. Save Cove Point.” It’s bad enough that she endangered herself along with another activist who aided her. She also endangered rescue workers and police who had to remove her from the crane. Then Doyle lied to the police and claimed Calvert County Sheriff’s Office deputies assaulted her as they were removing her from the crane SHE climbed up. That’s a very serious charge–especially in this day and age. The police investigated and discovered she was lying, so the District Attorney pressed charges. And it took this long for the case to play out. On May 27, Judge Marjorie Clagett of the Calvert County Circuit Court sentenced Doyle to three months in jail, with all but 15 days suspended, 240 hours of community service, two years of supervised probation, and $165 in court costs. It ain’t much, but it’s a little bit of justice against radicals who frequently break the law in a misguided attempt to protest fossil fuels…
    Read More “Cove Point Protester Sentenced to Jail, Lied About Police Assault”

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    Anti-Drillers Rush Stage at NY Power Event, Threaten FERC Chairman

    Norman Bay, Chairman of FERC
    Norman Bay, Chairman of FERC

    Once again anti-drillers have engaged in childish, petulant behavior in an attempt to call attention to themselves. Yesterday Norman Bay, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)–the agency charged with reviewing and approving or denying pipeline projects–spoke at a conference organized by the Independent Power Producers of New York (IPPNY) near Albany, NY. As he was speaking, a half dozen radical “keep it in the ground” protesters “rushed the stage” hollering at Bay, who had to make a quick exit–concerned he would be assaulted by the out-of-control protesters. The conference organizer said the protesters were “aggressive” and “disruptive” and “out of line.” It was a private event. The group’s ring leader seems to have been Igor Vamos, a media professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Vamos is the founder of “Yes Men,” a radical protest group that has staged fake press conferences on so-called climate change. Their display shows how precariously close these unbalanced people are. Watch the video below…
    Read More “Anti-Drillers Rush Stage at NY Power Event, Threaten FERC Chairman”