Texas Pipeline Activists Face 10-Year Sentence Under Texas Plan
- Proposal comes as environmentalists target new pipe projects
- Legislation now awaits governor’s signature to become a law
Photographer: Julie Dermansky/Corbis News via Getty Images
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Oil pipeline protesters who interrupt operations or damage equipment could face up to 10 years in prison under legislation approved by Texas lawmakers.
Under a bill approved by both chambers of the state legislature, protesters found guilty of halting service or delaying construction of an oil or natural gas pipeline could be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years of incarceration. That’s on a par with the sentences meted out to drive-by shooters who fail to hit their mark.