Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §210, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:

1-A.__A person is guilty of environmental terrorizing if that person commits a crime of violence dangerous to human life or destructive to property or business practices, for the primary purpose of protesting the practices of a person or business with respect to an environmental or natural resource issue, and the result is:

A.__To cause injury in fact to persons or damage to property or business; or

B.__To purposefully cause a significant interruption in business or loss of products that results in loss of revenues or in compensable damages.

Sec. 2. 17-A MRSA §210, sub-§2, as repealed and replaced by PL 1977, c. 510, §45, is amended to read:

2. Violation of subsection 1, paragraph A, is a Class D crime. Violation of subsection 1, paragraph B, or subsection 1-A is a Class C crime.

SUMMARY

This bill establishes the crime of environmental terrorizing, which is the destruction of property or the interference with a place of business' normal course of business by individuals or groups for the primary purpose of protesting a natural resource or environmental issue. Environmental terrorizing is a Class C crime.