Pipeline foes end tree-sitting protest
A mother and daughter who had been camped high in trees for five weeks to protest a natural gas pipeline near Roanoke, Virginia, climbed down from their roosts Saturday after a federal judge threatened to start levying heavy fines.
Theresa “Red” Terry, 61, and her daughter, Theresa Minor Terry, 30, had perched on platforms in trees on the family’s Bent Mountain property since April 2 to protest construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The women endured sub-freezing temperatures, high winds, snow and rain in their efforts to stop treeclearing and to rally opposition against the 303mile pipeline, which will carry gas from West Virginia through the mountainous southwest section of Virginia.
Late Friday, a federal judge said the pipeline company had legal authority to be on the land, found the women to be in contempt and gave them until 11:59 p.m. Saturday to come down. If they didn’t, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Dillon would have imposed a $1,000 fine against each woman for every day they continued to defy the court.
Dillon also authorized U.S. marshals to take command of the situation and bring them down by force if necessary or practical.
In addition, the judge found Coles Terry III, Red Terry’s husband and Minor Terry’s father, in contempt for his continued support of the women’s efforts. She fined him $2,000.
After the ruling, Coles Terry said the women would come down. Even if they didn’t mind paying the fines, he said, the judge had directed that the money be paid to the pipeline builders, a notion that disturbed the Terrys.
Shortly after 4 p.m., the protesters climbed down from their trees on a ladder hoisted by law enforcement officials to a large group of supporters gathered near their trees, along with Roanoke County police and state troopers, who have been monitoring the sites around the clock.
Red Terry unfurled an American flag from her stand, according to a report in the Roanoke Times, and Minor Terry began flinging out sleeping bags and other supplies before rappelling down her tree.