New Kansas law to make it a crime to trespass at pipelines

Trespassing near oil and gas pipelines, as well as railroad tracks, will be a misdemeanor under a new law signed by Gov. Laura Kelly.

By

State News

April 19, 2021 - 9:25 AM

North of Elsmore, a railroad crossing reminds one of earlier battles in the area over land. Photo by Trevor Hoag / Iola Register

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill signed into law by Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly will make it a misdemeanor to trespass near oil and gas pipelines.

The bill Kelly signed last week gained bipartisan support in the state Senate, but drew criticism from some House Democrats, including two Native American legislators who said the bill targets Native American protestors like those who opposed the Dakota Access oil pipeline, the subject of months of sometimes-violent protests in 2016 and 2017.

The new law goes into effect on July 1. The legislation makes it a misdemeanor to…

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