CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte activists planned a protest in Uptown Charlotte Wednesday in response to the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project.
Protesters planned to start their demonstration at the intersection of Trade and Tryon Street at noon.
GreenFaith, which describes itself as a multi-faith grassroots effort in support of climate justice, said the protest comes in response to action last summer to clear away legal hurdles for the pipeline project.
"They were strong-armed into this by Senator Joe Manchin, who held the country hostage during the debt ceiling increase negotiations," the organization said in a news release. "Since then, construction has been restarted and is progressing to planned completion this spring."
The pipeline project is expected to span roughly 303 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia.
"Last fall, my bill to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline received a bipartisan vote on the Senate floor but failed to receive the Republican support necessary to become law," a June 2023 statement from Manchin reads, in part. "But it was too important to the energy security of our country to give up. After that, I doubled down to build support by working with Speaker McCarthy, Leader Schumer, White House officials and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate to make the case for this critical energy security project."
Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC has firm commitments for the full capacity of the pipeline under 20-year contracts, according to the project's website.
The activists demanding the cancellation of the pipeline and related bank financing said they believe if the pipeline is put into service, it would result in "continued fracking, huge methane leakage, and untold damage to the global climate."
GreenFaith said several events were planned around the country between Jan. 29 and Jan. 31 as a part of this effort.
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