RALEIGH — About 30 protesters occupied Gov. Roy Cooper’s office Friday morning in downtown Raleigh, launching what they called a civil disobedience movement to block the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Protesters said they are initiating the next stage of their opposition to the planned natural gas pipeline a week after Cooper’s administration issued a key environmental permit for the 600-mile underground conduit. The activists said the permit approval represents a failure of democracy in the face of political and business pressure.
The protestors, including activists from other states invited to organize and participate, sat on the ground floor of a state office building and sang songs, shared testimonials and displayed handmade signs. One hugged a police officer.
The activists said a core group of about a dozen would remain on the premises until forcibly removed or arrested. State Capitol Police officers stood guarding hallways into the building and a receptionist worked on a computer and answered phone calls as the the protestors sat in their midst.
“This is an escalation,” said Steven Norris, 74, of Fairview, near Asheville. “This is the first civil disobedience, this is the opening salvo. We’re ready to go out in front of bulldozers.”
Among their grievances: The pipeline will cross some of the poorest counties in the state, passing through communities of African Americans and Lumbee Indians.
“Gov. Roy stuck a stick in a hornet’s nest,” said Greg Yost, a 51-year-old 9th-grade math teacher from Mars Hill. “This occupation today is the leading edge of what’s going to happen as the pipeline fight enters a new stage.”
They said the pipeline, which will supply a fleet of Duke Energy power plants, would prevent the development of renewable energy projects, and warned that methane, the main component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas.
Norris was particularly incensed that in the weeks before he endorsed the pipeline, Cooper declared his opposition to offshore drilling. Norris noted that coastal residents tend to be affluent and white.
“Gov. Cooper is standing with the white and privileged people of North Carolina,” he said. “But this pipeline will damage some of the poorest citizens of this state.”
Cooper’s office released a statement that said: “We appreciate that North Carolinians are making their voices heard on this issue and will continue working toward a full renewable energy future. As we move away from reliance on coal-fired power plants we will still need to rely on other fuels like natural gas, and the Department of Environmental Quality is taking rigorous steps to insist on clean water and good air quality along the path of construction.”