The trial of one environmental activist who vandalized an oil pipeline last year in North Dakota was scheduled to begin this week in Bismarck.
As the Associated Press reported, Michael Foster is among the first in a group of activists set to go on trial. He was allegedly part of a broader four-state effort to bring attention to climate change.
Foster was one of eleven activists with the group Climate Direct Action who were arrested when they attempted a shutdown of pipelines in North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Washington state. They allegedly broke into private property and turned shutoff values on five pipelines run by Enbridge, Spectra Energy, Kinder Morgan and TransCanada.
Foster faces felony and misdemeanor charges such as criminal mischief, conspiracy, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass. One activist who filmed Foster’s protest will also stand trial.
