Thomas Grace of Burlington, who was among those arrested, told the Burlington Free Press: "I came down here because the policies of the Shumlin administration and the Democrats are sending the planet on the road to ruin." They were then escorted from the building and ticketed at a nearby van. Though Shumlin was not at the building at the time of the protest, he issued a statement Monday night saying: "While I agree that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our state, nation, and world, I disagree with the protester's position on the natural gas pipeline, which I believe will help hasten our state's transition away from dirtier fuel oil and help our economy."Īccording to Vermont State Police, 64 people were arrested after police issued a "dispersal order" at roughly 8 pm Monday. "Once the gas bubble pops, ratepayers are going to be stuck with higher bills, paying the cost of this pipeline for years to come and still struggling to heat their homes." Rachel Smolker, a resident Hinesburg, Vermont. "The science is clear - whether the goal is avoiding CO2 emissions or sparking a transition to an emissions-free energy system, the fracked gas boom and this pipeline are no substitute for ambitious energy and climate policies, weatherization, efficiency and decreased consumption," said Dr. “50 ppl sitting office demand end to new #fossilfuel infrastructure #timesupriseup #vtenergy #vtpoli” - RisingTideVT opponents of the project say that natural gas drilled by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been linked to air and water contamination as well as significant emissions of methane gas-which is estimated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to be as much as 25 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Rising Tide Vermont, one of the groups challenging the pipeline proposal, argues that it will "lock Vermont communities into decades more of dirty fossil fuel use, at a time when a rapid transition away from fossil fuels and extreme energy use is needed." The proposed pipeline will significantly expand natural gas throughout the state by connecting the region south of Burlington with pipes that transport shale gas from Alberta, Canada. The protest was organized after the state's Public Service Board issued a renewed Certificate of Public Good for the Vermont Gas pipeline project, also known as the Addison Natural Gas Project. The civil disobedience action followed a mass rally, dubbed Time's Up, Rise Up! Rally for Climate Justice, during which over 300 Vermont residents converged on the State House lawn to demand that Governor Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, rescind his support for the expansion of a fracked gas pipeline, put an end to new fossil fuel infrastructure, and take "real action to protect our communities from the climate crisis." Protesting continued government support of fossil fuels, more than 60 demonstrators were arrested in Montpelier, Vermont after staging a sit-in at the State House Monday evening.
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