Environmental warrior: The moment Daryl Hannah was arrested for halting bulldozers at Keystone pipeline protests

  • Hannah stood in front of machinery to halt construction on Dallas farm
  • Kill Bill star was arrested last August during a pipeline protest

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: | Updated:


With her hand bravely outstretched to halt the massive bulldozer, this picture was taken moments before Daryl Hannah was arrested in northeast Texas on Thursday as she protested an oil pipeline designed to bring crude from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

With no regard for her safety the Kill Bill star stood in front of heavy equipment in an attempt to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in Winnsboro, a town about 100 miles east of Dallas.

The actress was arrested along with 78-year-old landowner, Eleanor Fairchild for criminal trespassing and taken to the Wood County Jail, said Paul Bassis, Hannah's manager.

Scroll Down for Video of the Arrest

Daryl Hannah stands with her arm outstretched as she attempts to halt a bulldozer from making headway on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline

Daryl Hannah stands with her arm outstretched as she attempts to halt a bulldozer from making headway on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline

'They've arrested Daryl Hannah and a rural Texas great-grandmother,' he added.

Hannah has long opposed TransCanada's construction of the $7 billion pipeline, which is designed to transport heavy tar-sands crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to Texas' Gulf Coast refineries.

'It is unfortunate Ms. Hannah and other out-of-state activists have chosen to break the law by illegally trespassing on private property,' David Dodson, a spokesman for TransCanada, said in an email. He also said protesters were 'putting their own safety and the safety of others at risk'.

The Kill Bill star is a passionate opponent of the new pipeline which will deliver oil from Canada to the United States
Daryl Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild try to defend Fairchild's property from the bulldozers

Daryl Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild try to defend Fairchild's property from the bulldozers

Daryl Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild are eventually arrested by police and taken away

Daryl Hannah and Eleanor Fairchild are eventually arrested by police and taken away

Bassis said he spoke to the actress on Thursday evening and that there was 'a strong indication' that both women would be kept overnight at the local jail.

'The streets of Winnsboro will be much safer tonight now that they've gotten that 78-year-old great grandmother off the streets,' Bassis said.

Hannah - who has starred in dozens of movies, including Kill Bill, Thelma and Louise and Splash - also was arrested in August 2011 while protesting the pipeline in Washington. She was one of several hundred prominent scientists and activists arrested that month.

Protest: Hollywood star and activist Daryl Hannah was arrested by Wood County authorities for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline in Texas

Protest: Hollywood star and activist Daryl Hannah was arrested by Wood County authorities for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline in Texas

Making waves: Hannah, pictured in the 1984 movie Splash, has been arrested while protesting the Keystone pipeline outside of Dallas

Making waves: Hannah, pictured in the 1984 movie Splash, has been arrested while protesting the Keystone pipeline outside of Dallas

In character: Hannah stars as Elle Driver in the movie Kill Bill, directed by Quentin Tarantino

In character: Hannah stars as Elle Driver in the movie Kill Bill, directed by Quentin Tarantino

They argue the pipeline would be unsafe because it would be carrying heavy, acidic crude oil that could more easily corrode a metal pipe, which would lead to a spill. They also say refining the oil would further contaminate the air in a region that has long struggled with pollution.

TransCanada says its pipeline would be the safest ever built, and that the crude is no dirtier than oil currently arriving from Venezuela or parts of California.

The issue became politically charged when congressional Republicans gave President Barack Obama 60 days to decide whether TransCanada should be granted the necessary permit for the pipeline to cross an international border before snaking its way 1,700 miles south to the Texas coast.

Obama, saying his administration did not have enough time to study the potential environmental impacts, denied the permit in January.

Arrested: Landowner Eleanor Fairchild, 78, was also brought to jail with Hannah

Arrested: Landowner Eleanor Fairchild, 78, was also brought to jail with Hannah

However, he encouraged TransCanada to reroute the northern portion of the pipeline to avoid an environmentally sensitive area of Nebraska. He also promised to expedite permitting of a southern portion of the pipeline from Cushing, Okla., to the Gulf Coast to relieve a bottleneck at the Cushing refinery.

TransCanada began construction of that portion of the pipeline this summer after receiving the necessary permits. Some Texas landowners, joined by activists from outside the state, have tried through various protests to stop or slow down construction.

Taking a stand: Daryl Hannah was previously arrested at a protest against Keystone outside the White House in Washington last August

Taking a stand: Daryl Hannah was previously arrested at a protest against Keystone outside the White House in Washington last August

Troublemaker: TransCanada executives said Ms Hannah 'put her own safety and that of others at risk'

Troublemaker: TransCanada executives said Ms Hannah 'put her own safety and that of others at risk'


 

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