Fracking Giant Sues PA Resident for $5m for Speaking to Media About Contamination
“Take a skunk and every
household chemical, put it in a blender, puree it for five minutes and take a
whiff. It burns the back of your throat, makes you gag, makes you want to puke.
It’s all still bad. That’s why [the inspectors are] back up here.” — Dimock,
Pa. resident Ray Kemble.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/fracking-giant-sues-pa-resident-for-5m-for-speaking-to-media-about-contamination/231071/
Ever since the dangerous consequences of natural gas extraction via
hydraulic fracturing—popularly known as "fracking"—entered the
national consciousness, the small town of Dimock,
Pennsylvania has arguably been "ground zero" for water
contamination caused by the controversial practice.
Now Cabot Oil & Gas, the
massive energy company responsible for numerous fracking wells near Dimock, is suing one of the town's residents for $5 million, claiming
that his efforts to "attract media attention" to the pollution of his
water well have "harmed" the company. According to the lawsuit,
Dimock resident Ray Kemble's actions breached an earlier 2012 settlement that
was part of an ongoing federal class action lawsuit over the town's water
quality. Kemble has stated that Cabot's fracking turned his groundwater
"black, like mud, [with] a strong chemical odor."
Earlier this year, Kemble filed a follow-up lawsuit against Cabot, which was based on
new findings that could help him prove the link between Cabot's fracking
operation and the contamination of his well. Cabot, at the time, argued that
the case was built on "inflammatory allegations" intended to
"poison the jury pool" and "extort payment" from the
company.
Kemble eventually dropped his lawsuit, acting in response to new
information that he thought might negatively affect the case. Kemble's lawyers
have declined to comment on the nature of that information. Cabot alleged that
this lawsuit was a breach of the 2012 settlement contract Kemble had signed,
prompting them to counter-sue Kemble.
Cabot's decision to sue Ray
Kemble may be motivated by more than their distaste for his now-dismissed
lawsuit. In context, it appears meant to intimidate and "send a
message" to Kemble and any other resident thinking of voicing similar
concerns and objections. Days before Cabot's lawsuit against Kemble was filed,
the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) arrived in Dimock to examine the groundwater of several
homes close to Cabot fracking wells, including Kemble's.
Kemble described the state of his groundwater to the Associated
Press: "Take a skunk and every household chemical, put it in a blender,
puree it for five minutes and take a whiff. It burns the back of your throat,
makes you gag, makes you want to puke. It's all still bad. That's why they're
back up here."
The ATSDR told the AP that it is testing Dimock's water for bacteria,
gases and chemicals in order to "determine if there are drinking water
quality issues that may continue to pose a health threat." Their previous study in 2012 found high levels of chemicals such
as methane, cadmium, lead and
arsenic. They also found that several residences were "at risk of
explosion or fire" due to high methane levels. In the past, several
drinking water wells in Dimock have exploded due to the high amount of methane now present
in the town's water.
Dimock residents have been
expressing concern over the quality of their water for nearly a decade. In
2009, Pennsylvania state officials determined that Cabot Oil & Gas was responsible for the
contamination, though the EPA complicated this decision by announcing in 2012
that Dimock's water was "safe" to drink. The EPA arrived at this
conclusion despite the fact that its investigators—along with the ATSDR—had found "significant damage to the water
quality" due to the presence of nearby fracking wells.
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