POINT PLEASANT, Pa. -- Political activist Abbie Hoffman was arrested Thursday after chaining himself to a gate at the site of a controversial water diversion project.
As heavy rain fell, security guards used bolt cutters to free Hoffman from the gate of the Bradshaw Reservoir, which the Philadelphia Electric Co. is constructing to hold water drawn from the Delaware River for use at its nuclear plant in Limerick, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia.
Sitting in a police car, Hoffman, best known for his many arrests during Vietnam War protests, told reporters he was taken into custody sooner than he had hoped to be.
'We'll beat them on the streets,' Hoffman said. 'We'll beat them in the political arena and in the courts. The judicial arena is not closed to us yet. This is only the beginning.'
Hoffman was arraigned in district court on a charge of criminal trespass and released on his own recognizance pending a hearing Sept. 18.
The project, designed to divert 95 million gallons of water a day from the Delaware River at Point Pleasant, has been the focus of protests since construction began on the pumping station in 1983.
The water is intended forresidential use in suburban Philadelphia as well as for coolant at the nuclear power plant.
Hoffman's arrest during a demonstration by 50 people marked his return to protests against the project after a four-year lull.
In 1983, Hoffman was a consultant to the environmental and anti-nuclear group Del-AWARE during its campaign to persuade county voters to support a referendum calling for an end to the project. He later had a falling out with the group.
Del-AWARE spokesman Walt McRee said Hoffman was not working for the group but the issues he raised 'are of grave concern to all of us.'
The project has been delayed for several years by court action.
Last week, the state Department of Environmental Resources extended permits for the project, but ordered a halt to work related to the permits until the state could complete a review of the project.
Hoffman said he was concerned other parts of the project would be completed during the review process. He said county residents 'must look at what is happening to the ground, not at what the bureaucrats say.
'I have never seen a struggle like this one,' Hoffman said. 'People come out at six o'clock on a rainy morning -- there was a voter referendum against it -- the county commissioners are against it. It's ironic on this 200th anniversary of the Constitution and on the eve of July Fourth that this should happen.'
