Leading Consumer Energy Advocate Applauds Action and Encourages Gov. Reeves to Sign HB 1243
JACKSON, MS – Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading voice for sensible energy policies for families and businesses, applauds the Mississippi legislature for passing HB 1243, a bipartisan critical infrastructure bill that increases penalties for trespassing or deliberately damaging a variety of energy facilities like pipelines and refineries.
“Thank you to the Mississippi legislature for their strong support of this common sense, bipartisan legislation that will protect our key energy infrastructure, like the pipelines our communities rely on every day to function and keep moving physically and financially – especially during these hard economic times,” CEA Gulf Coast Director Kaitlin Schmidtke said.
“With Mississippi’s Gulf Coast serving as home to facilities vital to our nation’s energy infrastructure, we cannot risk damage that could interrupt critical services across the United States. HB 1243 will help ensure that legitimate free speech rights are protected while preventing fringe activists who hide behind the guise of protesting to commit crimes and vandalism against our critical energy infrastructure.”
“This kind of legislative vigilance is unfortunately warranted, and anyone who argues that it is draconian must step back and ask themselves whether our society would permit such crimes in any other context. The public has a right to be protected from senseless illegal activity by extremists – especially since Mississippi houses major energy infrastructure including a large nuclear power reactor, petroleum refinery, natural gas processing plant, and liquefied natural gas terminal on its Gulf of Mexico coast.”
“CEA commends the legislature for working together to protect critical infrastructure and the public, and urges Gov. Reeves to promptly sign HB 1243 into law for the greater good of our state, citizens and nation.”