Portland climate activist convicted in Montana pipeline protest

(Update: Sentencing set for January)

FORT BENTON, Mont. (AP) – An activist who was trying to call attention to climate change has been found guilty of criminal charges for closing a valve on a pipeline carrying crude oil from Canada to the United States.
 
A Montana jury found Leonard Higgins of Portland, Oregon, guilty Wednesday of criminal mischief and trespassing. Sentencing is scheduled for January.
 
Higgins could face up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine on the felony criminal mischief charge. Trespassing is a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to six months in county jail and a $500 fine.
 
Higgins entered a fenced site near Big Sandy, Montana, in October 2016 and closed a valve on pipeline operated by Spectra Energy.
 
Activists simultaneously targeted other pipelines in Washington state, North Dakota and Minnesota.
 
A sentencing hearing for Higgins is scheduled for Jan. 2. Court officials initially said he would be sentenced Wednesday.