Closure of FERC "public" meeting draws street blockade

The monthly "public" meeting on May 19th of the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) was closed to the public in response to this week's protests. In response protesters took over 1st St NE in front of FERC's doors. Sounds of chainsaws and fracking fluid injection were played over the PA at one point, at another point the mock eminent domain notice against FERC chairman Norman Bay's house was read aloud for the second time. It had been posted the previous day when the mock pipeline was set up at the Chairman's house.

Protesters had dogged the FERC monthly meetings for 18 months in a row, demanding the right to make public comments at a public meeting and always being dragged out. For the 19th month, as the Rubber Stamp Rebellion raged outside, FERC closed the meeting outright, calling into question any decisions that were supposed to be made at a public meeting.

FERC is starting to freak out about the intensifying protests against fracking, pipelines, and eminent domain. After the early AM May 18th "pipeline" at the home of FERC Chairman Normay Bey, the next residential protest was at the home of FCC Commissioner Cheryl LeFleur. A large number of police showed up, blustering and confrontational. Their bluffs were called and no arrests were made, but this shows that FERC is whining about the pressure. This incident came hours after FERC's May 18th announcement that the May 19th "public" meeting would not in fact be open to the public.

Video from the 1st St blockade outside FERC on 5-19-2016

Related:Video overview of entire week of action including both the Rubber Stamp Rebellion and Break Free From Fossil Fuels (1 min 15 sec)