The 65-year-old former state worker from Portland, Oregon, said he’d carried out the protest to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change . Higgins and his defense team, however, were barred from referring to climate change during the trial. Higgins’ defense attorney noted in court that Spectra had been notified about 15 minutes in advance that the valve shutdown was imminent. After turning off the valve, Higgins stayed onsite, awaiting arrest. Activists say the jury was not given the full picture of Higgins’ motivations since mentions of climate change were off-limits during his trial.

Source: Huffington Post November 23, 2017 21:00 UTC