Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Illegal surveillance of pipeline foes

FBI Caught Spying on Keystone XL Opponents
By Rowan Lee
The FBI is in violation of its own rules – as another domestic spying scandal broke, the purpose – spying on environmentalists protesting the highly controversial Keystone pipeline. 

The 1,179 mile pipeline, designed to move 800,000 barrels of petroleum a day from the tar sands in Canada to the Texas Gulf coast was vetoed by President Obama in February. 

However, Republican Senate support rushed to override that veto in March and failed, falling short in a vote of 62 to 37.

New documents now reveal that the FBI operated in violation of its own rules to spy on environmental activists, labeled in the report as “environmental extremists.” 

Though the activists monitored were non-violent and acting within accordance to the law, throughout the 80 pages of previously confidential material they are labeled as dangerous and a threat to the “vital” pipeline – that wasn’t even yet approved to be built.



“Many of these extremists believe the debates over pollution, protection of wildlife, safety, and property rights have been overshadowed by the promise of jobs and cheaper oil prices,” the FBI document states. “The Keystone pipeline, as part of the oil and natural gas industry, is vital to the security and economy of the United States.” FBI DOCUMENTS
During a two year investigation from November 2012 to June 2014, the FBI monitored inside knowledge about upcoming protests, documented identities of protesters, and flipped at least one informant.

These investigations took place without prior approval of senior agents and lawyers from the Houston field office, in direct conflict with rules set forth by the attorney general.

The office has since admitted the error, stating that, “While the FBI approval levels required by internal policy were not initially obtained, once discovered, corrective action was taken, non-compliance was remedied, and the oversight was properly reported through the FBI’s internal oversight mechanism,” but defended their choice to act.

The investigation targeted to “take the initiative to secure and protect activities and entities which may be targeted for terrorism or espionage.”

Some environmental activists engaged in non-violent protest, being occasionally guilty of trespass, but with no history of violent crime. Protesters were logged into FBI databases for little more than taking pictures or simply being present near sites of interest. 

This took place in direct violation to the FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, which contains very strict rules that prevent the FBI from interfering in national politics. Paramount importance is placed on avoiding, “adverse impact on civil liberties and public confidence.”

Why was the FBI protecting corporate interests instead of individual rights? Why investigate non-violent protesters as terrorists?  Mike German, a former FBI agent himself, worked with the Guardian on sifting through the 80 pages of material, echoes this concern. 

“It is clearly troubling that these documents suggest the FBI interprets its national security mandate as protecting private industry from political criticism,” German states. The investigation was closed after 11 months of failing to find any evidence of “extremist activity” – yet since, more than a dozen activists have confirmed being contacted by the FBI throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho – though the agency promises that they are not under investigation.


Federal Bureau of Investigation – or thugs for big oil? Questions now stir over whether or not the FBI has been in direct collusion with TransCanada and actively attempting to influence the pipeline’s fate.