FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lisa DePaoli, lisa@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org, 724-229-3550, ext. 3
GOV SHAPIRO’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF CNX PARTNERSHIP IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO COMMUNITIES SUFFERING FROM YEARS OF DRILLING
Air emissions, water quality cannot and should not be self-reported by industry actors with a history of noncompliance
Washington, PA – This is not CNX’s hero origin story. Voluntary action by companies who have repeatedly broken their promises should never replace real action by our elected officials and regulators. Communities deserve true accountability: they deserve to have past harms acknowledged and repaired, and they deserve a path forward that they can count on.
This announcement is too little, too late, and conveniently comes as CNX seeks carte blanche to develop “blue” hydrogen throughout the region as part of the ARCH2 hub. Between their drilling and midstream operations, CNX has racked up more than 400 violations since the 43rd statewide Grand Jury report and policy recommendations were released, according to data collected by FracTracker Alliance.
The company has also been criminally charged with violations of the Air Pollution Control Act in Washington County. “CNX committed crimes in our county. Why should we believe or trust them now? How will they be protecting the health of citizens that live next to their facilities including pig stations? Why haven’t they ALWAYS been protecting the health and safety of residents and workers?” said Jodi Borello, whose family has been deeply affected by CNX for over a decade. “Governor Shapiro owes victims of this industry a visit to their homes so he can see and hear for himself the facts of what it is like to live next to this industry.”
Corporations like CNX put profits above our health and communities. Hydrogen produced from fracked gas perpetuates our reliance on fossil fuels, which means that families in the region will continue to suffer from increased respiratory health issues, higher rates of childhood lymphoma, and lower birth weights associated with shale gas development. The recent release of the Pennsylvania Health and Environment Study further strengthened the consensus surrounding the health impacts of fracking.
Ironically, as Governor Shapiro himself said regarding the 43rd statewide Grand Jury report, “[this is] about the big fights we must take on to protect Pennsylvanians — to ensure that their voices are not drowned out by those with bigger wallets and better connections. There remains a profound gap between our Constitutional mandate for clean air and pure water, and the realities facing Pennsylvanians who live in the shadow of fracking giants and their investors.”
###