In late February, pipeline fighters took to the trees in the so-called Jefferson National Forest in Peterstown, West Virginia, at the site where Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC intended to drill directly through the mountain and beneath the Appalachian Trail. The limestone karst terrain of the mountain generates and filters drinking water, as well making the area especially susceptible to landslides and sinkholes. In late March the treesits were joined by a monopod blockade of the pipeline access road; the aerial blockades in the end held up tree clearing for over three months, and pipeline construction on the mountain has still yet to begin.

Through the late spring and summer, pipeline fighters locked to MVP equipment and even blocked an easement with a Ford Pinto. As court orders temporarily slowed pipeline work, we kept monitoring and organizing. Shortly after FERC lifted the stop work order at the beginning of September, two new treesits appeared in the MVP's proposed route through part of Elliston, VA, on one of the few sites the company has not yet cleared. As MVP continues with their destructive project, we will continue to confront it.

Mountain Valley is a 42-inch pipeline which would carry fracked gas from shale fields in West Virginia to intersect with the existing Transco Pipeline, a major highway for transporting gas to market overseas. MVP's goal is not only profit off this pipeline, but increasing international dependence on fossil fuels.

Fighting back against pipelines requires resources and these brave pipeline fighters need your help more than ever! We need money for food, travel, climbing gear and other essential supplies, as well as court costs and legal fees. Donate now to keep pipeline fighters in the trees and the pipelines out of the ground!