Seven arrested on Capitol Hill demanding Schumer vote NO on Trump's FERC nominees
On the 3rd of August, seven people were arrested outside Senator Chuck Schumer's office demanding he vote NO on Trump's pro-pipeline/pro fracking nominees for FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC is infamous as the gas industry's rubber stamp but lacks a quorum and cannot approve anything unless Trump's nominees are confirmed
Senator Schumer is one of several Senators claiming to agree that Trump's FERC nominees should not be confirmed, while not making public committments about how they actually plan to vote.
One of those arrested was Deborah Kushner from Nelson County, Virginia, where residents are fighting Dominion Power's proposed Atlantic Coast pipeline. She had this to say: "Everything is wrong in this scenario: taxpaying property owners faced with eminent domain seizure of their land by a for-profit company, wondering about our home's proximity to an "incineration zone," finding huge gaps and incorrect data in FERC'S Environmental Impact Statement, seeing property values plummet before work starts... may it never! FERC must be stopped in its tracks and turned 180 degrees around so that we can continue to live and breathe in peace."
Meanwhile there is a "dirty energy bill" in the Senate to fast-track fracking, pipelines, and offshore drilling. No Senator except Bernie Sanders has dared to speak against it.
Call-in days, letter writing, and lobby days have not worked against Trump's dirty energy agenda on Capitol Hill. Thus activists have had no choice but to escalate to direct action.