Tallahassee, FL: Banner Against Sabal Trail Pipeline Hung at State Capitol

From Sabal Trail Resistance

A group of water protectors who are opposed to the Sabal Trail pipeline staged a die-in while another group suspended a large banner reading “Revoke Sabal Trail Permits” in front of the Capitol building, 400 S Monroe St, at 11:30 a.m. on January 12, 2017.

The group is comprised of people from across Florida, and other states, who have been organizing against new pipeline construction, many of whom have been to North Dakota and Iowa to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Some of these activists are camped out at locations along the pipeline route in Suwannee and Gilchrist Counties in order to monitor construction violations and educate the public.

They say that violations of state and federal laws occurring during the pipeline’s construction warrant the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) revocation of the permit granted to Sabal Trail. This can be done at any time the DEP or the Governor’s cabinet decides to act on its obligation to protect the public from harm occurring by the pipeline’s construction and operation.

“This pipeline is a threat to all of our drinking water. Lives are at stake,” says Makeda Meeks of Live Oak, Florida.

In particular, this pipeline threatens “environmental justice” (EJ) communities along its route, from Alabama across Florida, where 83% of the population impacted are reported to be low-income and/or communities of color. The environmental review process failed to assess these impacts.

Activists say this amounts to a form of environmental racism which is actually illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Environmental groups in Georgia and Florida have a pending lawsuit on these EJ issues and other public health concerns.

Another event is also taking place this weekend, coinciding with Martin Luther King’s birthday, where a civil disobedience action aims to stop construction at a site where Sabal Trail is drilling under the Suwannee River.