...After protests erupted near Energy Transfer’s Dakota Access Pipeline and Bayou Bridge beginning in 2016, 18 states including Texas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota have introduced bills similar to the Louisiana law, according to the nonprofit Center for Constitutional Rights.

Trespassing near pipelines previously drew misdemeanor charges in Louisiana. The new law aims “to chill, and harshly punish, speech and expression in opposition to pipeline projects,” the plaintiffs said in the lawsuit. ...

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