Protesters in Jefferson National Forest erected a new protest site today aimed at blocking construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Fern MacDougal is the latest in a string of protesters to take to the trees in protest of the 303-mile pipeline.
In a press release, she said the pipeline threatens to damage the environment and the health and well-being of poor and oppressed communities
"This pipeline will catalyze the growth and expansion of gas extraction across Appalachia, an industry which has already caused permanent harm to many communities," she said. "We are dedicated to resisting this reckless endangerment of the land and people as long as MVP continues to operate."
The new blockade is a 30-foot-tall platform suspended in the forest. Protesters say it’s hindering construction of an access road and boring site associated with the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Other protestors are currently camped out in trees along the pipeline’s path. That includes a tree-sit near the ridge on Peters Mountain and a monopod blockade on Pocahontas Road. The project also faces legal challenges by landowners.
Construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline is currently halted because of recent heavy rains. The pipeline developer was cited for erosion control problems in West Virginia last month.
A request for comment from the pipeline developers was not immediately returned Monday.
