52 climate activists arrested in Washington railroad protest

SEATTLE (AP) — Authorities cleared the railroad tracks of protesters and arrested 52 climate activists Sunday morning in Washington state, after a two-day shutdown.

Johnston, who had participated in a blockade of the Seattle harbor to protest Shell Oil's plans to drill for oil in the Arctic, said the success of protests like the one in Anacortes can mostly be seen in the way they inspire people to speak out about climate change.

Protesters in kayaks, canoes, on bikes and on foot also took place in demonstrations near Anacortes, about 70 miles north of Seattle, to demand action on climate and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal.

The railroad spur provides rail transportation for the nearby Shell and Tesoro oil refineries, as well as animal feed and other products.

Tesoro has started shipping Bakken crude oil to its refinery, and Shell is proposing an expansion project that would similarly bring in Bakken crude oil by train.

Many of the nearly 40 groups involved in organizing the event also participated in large on-water kayak protests against Shell's Arctic oil drilling rig when it parked last year at a Seattle port.