Facing Reluctant Landowners? Here's How To Use Terrorism Charges, Sez TransCanada To Police
TransCanada Corp. warned law enforcement authorities of "Aggressive/Abusive landowners" along the path of its Keystone XL pipeline in a recent security briefing that discussed avenues to prosecute demonstrators against its Canada-to-Gulf Coast project under anti-terrorism laws.
The PowerPoint presentation given to EnergyWire by Bold Nebraska, a group organizing Plains-area locals against the $5.3 billion heavy crude line, illustrates the extent of the company's preparations to face continued civil disobedience by environmentalists mobilized against further development of the carbon-rich Canadian oil sands.
EDIT
"TransCanada has never been interested in telling the truth about the pipeline, and now, evidently, it's actively looking to repress the legitimate concerns of affected communities and organizations just looking to amplify their voices," Ron Seifert said. The company's presentation identifies Seifert as one of three "professional organizers" training and organizing on-the-ground resistance, describing him as a "photographer, cyclist, activist broadcaster, and writer." Seifert said he has never taken photographs for the blockade and challenged the legitimacy of other briefing photos that purport to show another organizer training anti-oil sands activists from behind an indoor lectern. "Although they claim we're well-funded, unfortunately, we don't have the resources to rent auditoriums," he added.
Bold Nebraska Executive Director Jane Kleeb also disputed TransCanada's mention of a "slap on the shoulder" at a county board meeting in her state as one example of "aggressive" action by landowners. The "slap" was delivered by a 70-something veteran in the presence of a law enforcement official who did not view it as a threat, Kleeb said. "For TransCanada to say on page 4 of their PowerPoint that they build and maintain positive relationships via 'respect and trust' is a joke," Kleeb said via email. "Do they really think we would trust them as they call our guys 'abusive' a few pages over? They do not respect any of us and we do not trust them."
EDIT
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059982632
