The Mountain Valley Pipeline, which runs through West Virginia to Virginia is on the verge of completion following intense legislative and legal battles. This episode reminds us of the danger in this, and amidst such battles, Appalachians Against Pipelines shows us what might be possible if we allow ourselves to imagine a world outside of extraction. 

Lark Elodea joins Ayana to discuss the relentless and direct activism Appalachians Against Pipelines has been doing to stop the pipeline, build community resistance, and advocate for the needs of their communities in the face of developers, oil and gas advocates, and a continued disregard for Appalachian voices. 

This pipeline project is just one of many ways the extractive capitalist regime of the United States has tried to make Appalachia a sacrifice zone. Recent political efforts have not been enough to meaningfully protect communities and land. Lark reminds us of the power of direct action and community engagement to meaningfully grow movements.

Lark roots the conversation in reverence for the land and the complex legacies of violence and oppression within it. Fighting against the pipeline is, as Lark says, “Not only fighting for a world with no pipelines, but also no borders, or prisons or colonialism.” This is an intensely local battle and at the same time an intensely global one. Our decisions here matter for communities and matter for the collective future we are building.

Lark is a person of settler descent living in the beautiful mountains of Appalachia. They have been working with Appalachians Against Pipelines in the campaign resisting the 300+ mile Mountain Valley Pipeline for over 4 years, and have lived in the region for years longer. Doing this work gives them inspiration as well as heartbreak — they have seen mountainsides blasted, incredibly diverse forests bulldozed, friends and comrades jailed (and released, and jailed again).

They have seen community come together in vibrant, brave, and unimagined ways, and through many small victories strung together, have yet to see the pipeline completed. Lark is one of many, many pipeline fighters and water protectors and forest defenders contributing to the fight against reckless fossil fuel infrastructure and extraction (across Appalachia, across Turtle Island, and all over the world). They add to the cumulative resistance with an earnest offering of small strengths — painting banners, writing articles, facilitating meetings, carrying heavy things to steep places, growing, cooking, and preserving food, watching workers, writing letters to jailed friends, and at times, living at blockades and otherwise interfering directly in the would-be work of pipeliners.

They fall in love with this region over and over, with the steadfastness of the box turtles, the tiny vibrancy of mosses after rain, with the magical night chorus of tree frogs and flashing fireflies. They are deeply concerned about the intersecting threats of white nationalism, the prison-industrial complex, and ecological degradation in Appalachia and beyond, but are inspired to keep working towards a future that confronts all these things head on.

♫ The music featured in this episode is “Wanderlust” by 40 Million Feet, “Ready” by Alexandra Blakely, “The Memory of Water” by Camelia Jade, and “Silhouette Spin” by Cold Mountain Child.

Episode References

Appalacians Against Pipelines on Facebook
Donate to Support the Fight Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

Action Points & Resource Recommendations from Lark

First and foremost, learn about the place you live and take action there. Who were the original people of the land you’re inhabiting? What watershed are you in? Those types of questions can be useful to learn about to ground yourself, and can provide ideas about how to engage in fights in your area. If there’s a fight for social or environmental justice near you, join it.

If you’re interested in getting involved in the campaign against the Mountain Valley Pipeline in person, you can email us at appalachiansagainstpipelines@protonmail.com. Or, donate to our campaign. Or, donate to any campaign that you think is doing good work.

Don’t let the cops and courts stop the resistance! Fight back! Take action in your community! Show up to court dates for pipeline fighters! Support prisoners! Stop the MVP!

Check out these media sources for Indigenous-led pipeline resistance across the continent:
Giniw Collective
Unist’ot’en Camp

This resource explains in great detail many of the tactics we use:
Earth First! Direct Action Manual

Further reading about resistance and life in Appalachia:
”Appalachia’s Deep History of Resistance”
Transforming Places: Lessons from Appalachia
Trampoline: An Illustrated Novel

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