Saturday, May 28, 2016

Building Resistance to Pipelines


It Takes a Cabin to Stop a Pipeline from R3IMAGE on Vimeo.

On April 20, 2016 Kinder Morgan announced that it would suspend the North East Direct (NED) pipeline. One month before the news was announced Will Elwell - a traditional New England timber framer - built a replica of the Henry David Thoreau cabin in the pathway of the NED pipeline in Ashfield, Massachusetts. 

This video captures the sentiments of Elwell the day after the pipeline was halted and explores the future purpose of the Thoreau cabin. It is also a celebration of the relief that came just as suddenly to unsuspecting towns across New England as the day when the threat of the pipeline was announced. 

The towns now organized are coming together to drive the nail into the coffin of Kinder Morgan and all pipelines throughout the region.

Communities are coming together across the board to fight for their town sovereignty and energy independence. This vignette ponders the role of the Thoreau cabin to further these pursuits. As far as Elwell is concerned, "this is only the beginning."

The video concludes with a song led by friend Tom Neilson called "That pipeline ain't gonna pass."

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