ROANOKE, Va. — Police in Virginia have removed one of two protesters from tree stands that have been blocking construction of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline.
The Roanoke Times reports that a woman from Vermont was extracted Tuesday with the help of a construction crane.
Efforts to remove a second tree-sitter were continuing. The tree stands are about 50 feet from the ground.
Police said officers had to cut through a metal lockbox that had secured the protester to her stand.
She was charged with interfering with the property rights of of the developer of the natural gas pipeline.
The protesters have been blocking construction workers from felling the last remaining trees along pipeline’s 300-mile route. It will run through West Virginia and Virginia.
