VANCOUVER 鈥� Police are investigating the disabling of 80 gas and diesel pumps at four Chevron stations in 91原创 and Burnaby last month by a group protesting the company鈥檚 operations in Ecuador and planned pipeline in northern B.C.
鈥淚t鈥檚 under investigation,鈥� said 91原创 police Const. Brian Montague of the incidents, one of which was posted in an anonymous anti-pipeline YouTube video after four stations were shut down Aug. 21.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking the handles off the pumps [in the video] and then putting them together and running a bicycle lock through them. There was no damage, but the [handles] were locked together.鈥�
There have been no other reported incidents since then.
The video shows several individuals in dark clothing and orange vests, with masks covering their noses and mouths, removing hoses from fuel dispensers and then tying them together with chains and bike locks after placing them on the ground.
Three people 鈥� including one who jumps a fence 鈥� then leave the scene, one on a skateboard.
The video contains footage condemning what it calls Chevron鈥檚 pollution of parts of Ecuador鈥檚 Amazon region, as well as footage of a Unist鈥檕t鈥檈n aboriginal rally against the construction of the 91原创 Trail Pipeline, Chevron鈥檚 project to carry natural gas to its proposed liquefied natural gas plant in Kitimat.
Chevron spokesman Adrien Byrne said Thursday that the four incidents happened early in the morning. 鈥淲e cut the bike locks off. But we were concerned about it and notified the RCMP and the 91原创 Police Department.鈥�
Byrne said he couldn鈥檛 speculate on why the protesters disabled the pumps, but added: 鈥淥ur primary concern is the safe and ongoing operations of each of those sites.鈥�
Byrne also cited an incident in May in which protesters chained themselves to the fence of Chevron鈥檚 Burnaby refinery, but couldn鈥檛 say whether the two incidents were linked.
