Authorities cleared the railroad tracks of protesters and arrested 52 climate activists today morning in Washington state, after a two-day shutdown.
About 150 people spent the night in tents and sleeping bags on the tracks near two refineries in northwest Washington, according to BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas.
They were asked to leave at about 5 a.M. And most gathered their belongings and left the area near Anacortes, Melonas said.
"It was peaceful," he said. "Eighty percent removed their belongings and cleared out."
The rail line has been closed since Friday because of the protests, and trains will begin running again Sunday afternoon after a cleanup and safety sweep of the tracks, he said.
Protesters in kayaks, canoes, on bikes and on foot also took place in demonstrations near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.
Hundreds marched to the refineries Saturday and a smaller group blocked the railroad, all demanding energy policy changes. The railroad knew about the protest in advance and rerouted rail traffic to avoid the area.
The railroad spur provides rail transportation for the nearby Shell and Tesoro oil refineries, as well as animal feed and other products.
"We can't wait anymore. We've got to do things now," Clara Cleve, 76, of Edmonds, said Saturday. "Direct action is very effective. My grandchildren are not going to have a place to live unless we move quickly now.
