In Essex, England hundreds of climate change campaigners temporarily blocked access to the Coryton oil refinery. The protest was undertaken by a group called ‘Crude Awakening’ that is trying to encourage the world to move beyond oil. The refinery processes ten million tonnes of crude oil per year, and is located about 45km from central London.
No arrests were made.
I’ve learned from fellow activists that the climate camp movement in the UK is strong. Apparently, they stopped the building of the 3rd runway at Hearthrow. And, they get supportive (but not uncritical) coverage in the mainstream UK press.
Certainly something to aim for.
Sometimes, even the courts are supportive.
Idaho road becomes oilsands battleground
By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald October 23, 2010
A twisting highway in the scenic Pacific Northwest has become the latest battleground for anti-oilsands activists hoping to block development of the world’s second-largest oil reserves.
More than 200 process modules for Imperial Oil’s $8-billion Kearl oilsands mine began arriving in Vancouver, Wash., on Oct. 3 and are being barged up the Columbia and Snake rivers to Lewiston, Idaho, without permits from state authorities to ship them 1,300 kilometres overland to the Alberta border.
The Calgary-based company first has to wait for a ruling from the Idaho Supreme Court in a separate but related case against permits granted to ConocoPhillips to ship four coking drums from Lewiston to its refinery in Billings, Mont., in a highly anticipated decision that could come any day.
Imperial is hoping to move 207 oversized loads along Highway 12 over the next 12 months from fabrication yards in Korea to Fort McMurray, Imperial spokesman Pius Rolheiser said in an interview.
Local residents worry that the two-lane roadway will become a permanent transportation route for oversized loads to Canada, blocking traffic and compromising safety, but others have linked the fight to “dirty oil” from Canada in a proliferation of blogs and websites railing against “Big Oil.”
Four arrested at Ravenstruther coal terminal protest
Four people have been arrested during a protest at a coal loading rail depot in South Lanarkshire.
Protesters attached themselves to the conveyor belt and the front gate at the Ravenstruther terminal near Lanark.
The facility, which is owned by Scottish Coal, was targeted as part of an ongoing campaign against opencast mining in the Douglas valley area.
Up to 20 people were involved in the protest, which got under way at about 0600 GMT.
It was broken up by British Transport Police (BTP) at about 1130 GMT.
Details of the protest were posted on the Coal Action Scotland website.
It stated: “At 6.00am on the 10th of November, supported by approximately 15 other campaigners, two protesters attached themselves to the front gate of the coal terminal, effectively preventing access to the site.