Thursday morning, Greenpeace sent protestors to repel from the Fred Hartman Bridge with a goal of disrupting oil and gas traffic in the Houston Ship Channel for 24 hours. Unfortunately, Greenpeace stopping their van to drop the protestors off caused an automobile accident that sent one Texan commuter to the hospital per KABC:
“Those protestors caused a traffic accident as they stopped their van this morning. A commuter had to be taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.”
Despite their actions resulting in injuries to an innocent bystander, it appears Greenpeace’s intended goal of disrupting oil and gas business in the Houston Ship Channel fell flat. Port of Houston spokeswoman Lisa Ashley said the protest is “not going to be devastating,” as schedules of vessels leave room for interruptions:
“When you’re talking about ships, they are transiting for months, weeks at a time. There are ebbs and flows in that schedule. A day here or there is already factored into the structure of planning.”
Houston oil consultant Andy Lipow noted the protest would be less disruptive than fog, which can tie up traffic in the channel for days. Harris County Sherriff’s Office is in contact with the district attorney’s office to discuss possible charges the protestors may face once their protest ends.
