Climate activists, who attempted to disrupt the completion of a fossil-fuel pipeline through Appalachian forests, will face serious criminal charges in Virginia court on Tuesday. These charges are vehemently denied by the activists. The Mountain Valley pipeline (MVP), pushed through by the Biden administration in mid-2023, has been the subject of non-violent protests and civil disobedience in Virginia and West Virginia. The activists’ actions, including chaining themselves to machinery and singing protest songs, led to 10 activists being charged with conspiracy to defame business reputation, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and abduction of the MVP machine operator. Two will face trial for the misdemeanor conspiracy charge and a preliminary hearing for the felonies, which carry a maximum combined sentence of 16 years. The remaining eight accepted a plea deal, facing a suspended sentence and community service. This case has raised concerns about the criminalization of environmental and climate protests, both in the US and globally.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/25/mountain-valley-pipeline-activists