A Good Decision Is Reversed: Cabot Oil Is Given An Undeserved Thumbs Up By Judge

I feel a personal connection to my dear friends in Dimock, PA, because I became friends with quite a few residents of Susquehanna County in 2009 when I had my epiphany about the natural gas industry and the destruction it was causing, especially in Dimock which was hit so hard early on when hydrofracking started tearing up everything underground, causing water contamination and illness.  This weekend a judge vacated a case against Cabot Oil, taking away a $4 billion award to two families who have suffered so much in the last 8 years or more since Cabot ruined their perfectly good water.  Now the judge says a new trial would be required.  Read about the devastating news here.

This is the first post I have posted since September 2015.  I am so angry about this decision that I was compelled to return to my blog and write about it. 

Vera Scroggins: Anti-Fracking Activist Talks About Her Injunction

Uploaded on Jun 29, 2015

Vera Scroggins explains the injunction set by Cabot oil and gas against her she must follow in Susquehanna County. She also explains a new phenomenon: Vera sightings.

Vera has been revealing what is actually happening in Susquehanna County, PA, through her video documentation and the tours she gives of the area, during which she shows people the effects of the gas industry.  To say she is relentless is an understatement.  She has been sued by Cabot Oil and made several court appearances.  An injunction was given to her in May which has many orders in it, limiting her access to many places in her county, and will never expire.

She explains what Vera Sightings are here.  Cabot is trying to build a case against her even now after all she has been through. 

Fracking Intimidation: Vera Scroggins Edition

on Apr 21, 2015

Cabot Oil and Gas does not tolerate dissent. They've used lies and intimidation to silence Vera Scroggins, who does citizen tours around Dimock Pennsylvania. But the harassment of any and all critics is very common - I found this out personally as I filmed installation across America. I was reported to Homeland Security for filming a gas refinery - Homeland security gave my boss a call after they tracked the license plate on the rented car I was driving to him. "To know who rules over you, find out who you can not criticize" The fossil fuel industry - using the fracking boom - has decided we will remain on fossil fuels no matter what science says. Silencing critics is pone way they get this done - which destroying our democracy, our environment and our communities at the same time.

"Vera Scroggins, a Pennsylvania grandmother who gives tours of her local area to people interested in knowing more about fracking, could be jailed for her work. Cabot Gas and Oil has been trying to stop her citizen tours by using false claims to place a legal injunction against her. Cabot's attack on Vera reached a zenith this Spring when an industry worker falsely testified that Vera Scroggins violated the court's order.

Vera has many witnesses who testified that the worker was wrong and Vera was well within the boundary set for her by the injunction. But the judge, who has financial interests in the gas industry - rejected the testimony of three witnesses and accepted the testimony of the singular gas worker who had no proof of his claims.

Why is Cabot so dead set on punishing Mrs. Scroggins? Cabot takes this approach with anyone who defies them. The corporation uses local media propagandists and local pro-gas groups to harass, intimidate and obstruct all opposition. This time Cabot Gas and Oil hopes to jail a critic based on false testimony.

Vera is encouraging anyone in the area to come to the Montrose Courthouse on Thursday, April 23, at 1:30 to stand in support of democracy, decency and justice."

Vera Scroggins: Grandmother Against Fracking

Vera's Update On Her Pending Court Date:

This is her update:

"My next court date is a trial date for a civil trial on Oct. 29th at 9 am. at the Montrose Courthouse, Montrose, Pa. 18801. My three lawyers, one from ACLU in Pa., one from Public Citizen in Washington, DC. and a private Pa. attorney, will be defending me and working to lessen my restrictions or remove them and show the Judge that I am not a danger to Cabot or their workers .   This is a civil trial with no jury; it will be public and public is encouraged to attend; come and witness and bring signs for display outside of the court room.  And we can meet afterward for lunch across the road from Courthouse at Mazar's Restaurant.  Cabot lawyers charged that I am a danger to Cabot , their workers, myself and those I bring on my Citizen Gas Tours; I've been doing this for five years and no one has been hurt, except the image of Cabot. Cabot is the Danger with 566 DEP Violations for 427 Active Wells in our county so far....and counting....

I am under the second, temporary Injunction, which prohibits me from going within 100' of any Cabot Gas Development Sites and any Cabot access road to their sites.  I have been under an Injunction with Cabot since Oct. 22, 2013.

Even though, I've been touring gas sites in the county peacefully for five years, and now , Cabot claims dangers and files a lawsuit without ever sending me any notices or requests to cease and desist .  Cabot had no signs at the entrances stating : "no trespassing"  Now they do after the Injunction and plastered "no trespassing" signs on all their sites."

 Vera's civil trial date: October 29, 2014

Montrose County Courthouse

Montrose, PA

The public is encouraged to attend.

Vera Scoggins on British TV

Fracking Nightmare

Vera Scroggins Speaks Out At Press Conference in Montrose, PA

Vera Scroggins vs Cabot Oil & Gas Hearing 3/24/14 


More information here.

Vera Scroggins: A Woman To Be Reckoned With!

Published on Dec 7, 2013

In this modern day David vs Goliath story - 62 year old grandmother and anti fractivist Vera Scroggins is singled out and brought to trial by multibillion dollar corporation Cabot Oil and Gas.
It all came to head after she conducted a celebrity tour of the gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA for Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Susan Sarandon, Arun Ghandi and a host of media. This trial  may well be considered a "SLAPP suit" -Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation - a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.
Vera's hearing to determine whether there is a permanent injunction is January 27, 2014. Those who value their first amendment rights should comment and share this video - and attend the court proceedings if possible. Contact veraduerga@yahoo.com for details.

We support Vera Scroggins and her efforts to protect human beings and the planet!

These Are the Sights and Sounds of Hydrofracking: Marcellus Shale

Published on Sep 14, 2013 Next to Homes. Hear the Noise. This is the Fracking Stage. After the months of Drilling. After this usually comes the flaring stage. Noise , traffic, dust. On a normally quiet country road in Forest Lake, Susquehanna County, PA. This is on the Gillingham property. Cabot Gas is the company involved.

Videographer Journalist: Vera Scroggins

I have witnessed this exact scene in Bradford County near my family's home in French Azilum.  This is an area which, until Big Gas arrived, was the most beautiful, pristine, bucolic place I have ever known.  In particular, the night time used to be so quiet and peaceful.  One could actually achieve a blissful state of mind.  Now it is gone.       -Carol Manuel

PS  For those who say we have to do this to survive, I offer two words:  Sustainable Energy.  We have no choice but to develop energy sources that can be sustained into the future.  Otherwise we are nothing but selfish consumers who are not thinking about the welfare of our descendents.  George W. Bush once told an interviewer when asked about his legacy, "I am not worried about that.  I'll be dead."  Let us have more vision than George Bush.  Let us use what creativity and ingenuity we possess and make a better future for our planet.   -Carol Manuel

A House Destroyed: Natural Gas Drilling At Its Finest

Dimock, Pa., Susquehanna County.

Cabot bought the Sautner House through an investment company, and Cabot's name is on the demolition permit posted out front of the house. Cabot made a settlement with the Sautners with a gag order in August 2012. Sautners moved out to NY. The house has been empty for about a year. Why would Cabot demolish it and not answer our questions and enquiries. Are they removing all evidence of this contaminated property and the "symbol" of resistance and protest? The Sautners were the most vocal of the Dimock families who had lost their water after gas drilling.

Cabot Oil Demolishes House in Dimock, PA, 9/4/13

Published on Sep 4, 2013 Dimock, Pa., Susquehanna County.

Cabot bought the Sautner House through an investment company and Cabot's name is on the demolition permit posted out front of the house. Cabot made a settlement with the Sautners with a gag order in August 2012. Sautners moved out to NY. The house has been empty for about a year. Why would Cabot demolish it and not answer our questions and enquiries. Are they removing all evidence of this contaminated property and the "symbol" of resistance and protest ? The Sautners were the most vocal of the families in Dimock, who had lost their water after gas drilling.

Video by Independent Journalist Vera Scroggins

So what does Cabot Oil intend to do with this property now?  Perhaps a nice compressor station, or how about a lovely pipe distribution lot or maybe a man camp?  This is a travesty what Cabot has done to the Sautner family.  If Cabot is trying to wipe away the evidence and the history,  they will not succeed.  Too many people know what they have done.

Vera wrote:

 

What I witnessed and videotaped today and awful to watch; This former home of the Sautners, who worked tirelessly to reveal to the world what Cabot and the Gas Industry did to their water, lives, health, community, county and now Cabot is eliminating the evidence.....The whole truth will come forward and Cabot won't be able to hide the truth with settlements and gag orders and propaganda forever.....

Constitution Pipeline: Rebecca Roter Speaks Up (PA)

Are people protected from harm when a pipeline goes in? Not if the area is Class One. No oversight for public safety. Hear from Rebecca Roter how a gas pipeline will impact this resident of Susquehanna County. She tells a lot about the facts of the situation, but then when the interviewer asks her about the emotional impacts of what is happening, you can see the human toll the gas industry is taking. The industry is ruining her property and her life. The worst thing is that Cabot and Williams Midstream really don't care about the people that live in the areas they are destroying.

Is the water in Dimock (PA) safe to drink?

Uploaded by WaterDefense on Mar 21, 2012

Please donate to the Water for Dimock fund: http://j.mp/GzJRnL

On March 15th 2012 families affected by fracking in Dimock got test results back from the EPA proving their water was contaminated. The EPA simultaneously put out a statement saying the water didn't pose a health threat. Why did the EPA contradict it's own findings?

Please call EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson at 202-564-4700 and demand long-term water replacement for Dimock.

For more information on the situation in Dimock see the recent Propublica article by Abraham Lustgarten: http://j.mp/GGwyYw

The song "Motherland" is courtesy of Natalie Merchant

Call Lisa Jackson

202-564-4700

Hydrofracking Exposed: Photojournalists Visit Dimock, PA

Carter Road, Dimock, PA

Two college students from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), photojournalists Ellie and Lauren visited Dimock, PA, and Silver Lake, PA, on February 10-11, 2012, to learn for themselves about the effects of hydrofracking on this area.  They have done a superb job of capturing the essence of what Gasland is all about.  Their concern for this beautiful area of Pennsylvania and their dedication to opposing hydrofracking everywhere is inspiring.

Day One, Part One
Day One, Part Two: Carter Road
Day Two: Silver Lake

Press Conference in Dimock, PA: January 20, 2012

Today, 1-20-12, Press Conference at the Sautner House in Dimock, Pa., Susquehanna County, where Julia Walsh of Frackaction.org of NY introduces Dimock residents with polluted water. Craig Sautner speaks, followed by Victoria Switzer, then Silver Lake resident, Craig Stevens and Josh Fox, "Gasland", Producer. EPA decides to bring water in a large tanker for polluted residents after reviewing more test data received by Cabot Gas and DEP and EPA will test 61 homes in the area starting this Monday and Tuesday and continue to bring water to several homes in Dimock. Industrial chemicals, barium , arsenic and metals, besides methane found in the water. Four EPA people were there.

Only four homes in Dimock are slated to receive clean water from the EPA so far, but there are many more homes still in need of clean water.

THANK YOU, EPA, FOR BRINGING CLEAN WATER TO DIMOCK.  A GOOD START, BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE FAMILIES IN NEED OF CLEAN WATER.

A Trip To Dimock, PA, Part Two

A video by Scott Cannon On January 10, 2012.  I drove to Dimock Pennsylvania to find out what's going on with the DEP and the EPA's investigation on the water well contamination alleged by Cabot Oil & Gas.

Methane in three private water wells in Lenox Twp. seeped there from a flawed natural gas well drilled by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., state environmental regulators have found.

An investigation by the Department of Environmental Protection determined that the gas migrated from at least one of three Marcellus Shale wells on the Stalter well pad about a half-mile west of Interstate 81 in Susquehanna County.

The gas was found seeping into three water supplies in August. A fourth water well for a hunting cabin is still being evaluated, DEP spokesman Daniel Spadoni said.

Video from inside one of Cabot's gas wells showed that a string of steel casing meant to seal off the aquifer from contaminants was improperly constructed, according to a notice of violation sent by DEP in September.

Methane was also found between the cemented strings of casing in all three gas wells on the Stalter pad, a sign state regulators view as evidence of flaws in a well's construction.

The dissolved methane in one nearby water supply jumped from 0.3 milligrams per liter before drilling began to 49 milligrams per liter on Aug. 16 and 57 milligrams per liter on Aug. 18, according to the violation notice.

Cabot installed methane detection alarms in three homes and vented the three affected water wells to keep the methane from accumulating and creating an explosion risk. The company is also delivering replacement drinking water to two of the homes, Mr. Spadoni said. The methane in the third water well has decreased so the home does not require an alternate water supply, he said.

Cabot spokesman George Stark said Friday that the company submitted a detailed response to the DEP and is working with regulators on the issue.

"Cabot is committed to safe and responsible operations and takes matters like this very seriously," he said. "We believe in fact-based, scientific research to guide any necessary corrective actions."

Department regulators sent Cabot a violation notice on Sept. 19, but neither the department's public eFACTS compliance database nor its monthly oil and gas violations report noted the inspection or violations until last week, when a Times-Tribune reporter asked about the investigation.

DEP policy requires the oil and gas program to update the eFACTS database within 10 working days of completing an inspection or mailing a notice of violations.

Mr. Spadoni said the missing information was "an oversight."

Part One here.

EPA To Dimock Residents: Water Is On the Way- NOT!

This weekend Dimock residents were under the impression that the EPA planned to deliver emergency water to them.  But the decision was reversed, and the reason is unclear.  The affected families literally have no water with which to cook, bathe, wash clothes, and flush toilets.  This is just wrong.
Read more.

Craig Sautner Speaks Out About Water (Gas Drilling Contamination)

Listen to Mr. Sautner's comments about the victory in delaying drilling in the Delaware Watershed and also about his dilemma in Dimock, PA, where Cabot Oil destroyed his water supply.  November 30th is the day when Cabot will no longer deliver fresh water to his home. His contaminated well has never been restored.

http://youtu.be/9_LFQWFAedI

Zombies Occupy Dimock: A Halloween Walk

Exploding water wells, broken promises, gas drilling gone bad!

Sunday, October 30th, 4 p.m.
Meet at Dimock Baptist Church

PADEP has agreed to allow Cabot Oil & Gas to stop providing fresh water to the people in Dimock who have contaminated water. This sets a precedence for water contamination cases in PA.

What if this was YOUR water?

All Zombies are invited to Dimock to join in a walk to illustrate what happens when the gas industry leads State policy.  Come in a costume or come as you are. We will meet for Kabot Kool-aid at the Dimock Baptist Church at 4 and walk down Carter Rd. to the site where a water well blew up on New Year's morning, Jan 1, 2009. We will then return to the church for a viewing of the film" Frac Attack!" and refreshments.  Shuttles will be available from the church to Carter Rd. and back.  Map for the church location can be found here.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2osnz
Dimock Baptist Church
State Route 2024
Dimock, PA 18816
More information here.

DON'T EXPECT PROTECTION

DEP

Marcellus Shale: Cabot Hearts Animals?

Mule deer

Cabot Oil and Gas has done it again.  It is showing us how much they care about the local community and animals.  Their gas drilling is destroying animal habitat and providing light and noise pollution that disrupt the lives of animals.  And well pads cause runoff which puts toxic chemicals in local fields and streams which serve as water sources for animals.  Fish kills and sick and dying farm animals are reported with regularity.  Nonetheless,  Cabot is offering to match donations to True Friends Animal Welfare Shelter in Montrose, PA.  The gas company is described as "a good corporate citizen for the community."  They are offering $10,000.  Such a pittance compared to the harm they are doing to animals every single day.  If only animals could read signs:  Do not drink the water.

Read the article in the Rocket Courier: LINK

Flaring in Susquehanna County, PA

King Site; Cabot Gas Site; Dimock, Pa. ; 1 and 1/2 miles from Elk Lake School; very loud-- like jet engines on the runway; can be heard miles away; houses nearby right around this site; goes on for 24 hours for several days; horrible; videotaped on 5-14-11.