ESSEX – One demonstrator was arrested Thursday after locking her arms around a length of pipe at a Vermont Gas worksite.
Johanna Anderson, a 28-year-old activist and outdoor educator from Plainfield, handcuffed herself to an immovable casing pipe at the construction site for several hours in protest of the construction of a Vermont Gas Systems pipeline extension.
Anderson is a member of Rising Tide Vermont, an activist group that according to its website “takes direct action to confront the root causes of climate change.”
The protest began at around 6:30 a.m., in a worksite at the intersection of Route 2A and the circumferential highway, VT-289.
Rising Tide Vermont spokesperson Ryan Gillard said the demonstration was a precursor to a larger event planned for Monday in Montpelier, where a Public Service Board hearing will ultimately decide whether to renew Vermont Gas’ certificate of public good for the 41-mile natural gas pipeline from Chittenden County to Addison County.
About a dozen members of the organization came to support Anderson. They stood or sat to watch Anderson from behind an orange-tape perimeter, occasionally shouting “We love you Johanna!” and singing protest songs.
A group of Vermont Gas employees stood a few yards away from the Rising Tide group and also watched Anderson. One of them filmed Anderson and the police with a company camera.
“Our No. 1 concern is safety,” Vermont Gas spokesperson Beth Parent said.
Anderson’s handcuffs were protected by two metal sleeves welded together at a 90 degree angle, and she laced an arm through each sleeve with her hands located at the bend. Police were unable to cut through the apparatus for fear of injuring her. Instead, they talked with her for several hours in an attempt to persuade her to surrender.
“She’s dug in at this point,” Essex police Lt. Ken Beaulieu said. “She’s cordial, not abusive, polite – but defiant.”
“They’re threatening her with all sorts of charges,” said Rising Tide Vermont spokesperson Ryan Gillard. “But we’re a group of people who are willing to take on these minor consequences to fight for a livable planet.”
Vermont Gas engineers eventually decided to cut out a section of the casing and slide her arms out. Anderson surrendered as the work crew began cutting the casing by releasing a locking mechanism hidden within the metal sleeve on her arms. She was immediately arrested and escorted to the Essex Police Department.
Anderson will likely face several charges, including unlawful mischief, which is a felony, police said.
