The Line Stops Here! Telling Our Stories and Uniting Our Struggles Against Fracked Gas and Byproducts Pipelines in the Appalachia Region

Abstract

With the coal industry in decline and the production of fracked gas on the rise, those wishing to be the earth\u27s advocates and protectors have gone on the offensive seeking to curb new pipeline construction and the repurposing of old ones. This group of roundtable presenters features a broad representation of grass-roots activists acting to stop the spread of gas pipelines and the repurposing of them for the transport of the more explosive fracked byproducts in several neighboring Appalachian states. The presenters will include Appalachian activists from Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia who will share their successes, setbacks and strategies in seeking to obstruct if not halt the gas industry\u27s recent and recently proposed pipeline projects. The four presenters will share information about the projects, both under construction or proposed, they are seeking to obstruct or halt and their experiences with educating other citizens along with local and state officials in order to connect and support further citizen action against the spread of fracked materials through these four Appalachian states and beyond. Discourse in the form of stories about audience\u27s experiences will also be encouraged