Thursday, March 10, 2016
In 'David vs. Goliath' Fracking
Case, Families Handed Major Win
A court on Thursday handed down a $4.2 million verdict—and
vindication—to two Pennsylvania families who said fracking contaminated their
water
"$4.2 million will not bring back drinkable well water to
the long-suffering families of Dimock, Pennsylvania," said anti-fracking
activist Sandra Steingraber on Thursday. (Photo: AP)
A 10-person jury in court on Thursday handed down a $4.2 million
verdict—and vindication—to two Pennsylvania families who refused to settle in a case pitting
homeowners in the village of Dimock against a Houston-based fossil fuels
company.
After a two-week trial at the U.S. District Court in Scranton,
the federal jury found that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., one of the largest
natural gas drillers in Pennsylvania, had polluted the families' well water.
As Common Dreams reported last month, neighbors Scott Ely
and his wife, Monica Marta-Ely, and Ray and Victoria Hubert were the only
remaining litigants in a lawsuit that began in 2009 with more than 40
plaintiffs—most of whom settled in 2012.
According to news outlets, the Elys were awarded $2.6
million and their three children $50,000 each. The Huberts were awarded $1.4
million, with another family member awarded $50,000.
The verdict drew praise from anti-fracking activists including
filmmaker Josh Fox, who featured Dimock's brown, odorous, and flammable water
in his documentary Gasland and told Greenwire that
he was "overjoyed" by the news.
"People say this was like David and Goliath," he said.
"Well, we just got a reminder of how that story ends."
AMAZING!
JUSTICE IS DONE! CABOT GAS GOES DOWN TO ONE FAMILY THAT REFUSED TO QUIT!
PRECEDENT! HUGE FRACKING NEWS! https://t.co/zxMJvYjMih
— Josh
Fox (@joshfoxfilm) March 10, 2016
Still, the problem with fracking is much bigger than two
families or one small town, said anti-fracking advocate and biologist Sandra
Steingraber, science advisor for Americans Against Fracking.
"$4.2 million will not bring back drinkable well water to
the long-suffering families of Dimock, Pennsylvania," she told EcoWatch.
"No amount of money can do that," Steingraber said.
"Once groundwater is polluted, it's polluted forevermore. But what this
important jury decision does do is strip away the mirage of omnipotence that
Cabot and other gas companies operate behind. Fracking poisons water. That's
what the science shows. The frackers will be held responsible. That's what this
court decision shows."
Cabot Oil & Gas said Thursday it would appeal the
ruling, accusing the jury of ignoring
"overwhelming scientific and factual evidence that Cabot acted as a
prudent operator in conducting its operations."
But as EcoWatch reported, an NPR StateImpact report prior to the trial
revealed that Cabot Oil & Gas had already accumulated more than 130
drilling violations at its Dimock wells, yet insisted that methane
migration in Dimock's water is naturally occurring. The company is
currently banned from drilling in a 9-mile area of Dimock but is trying to
lift the ban.
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"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives."
Eugene Victor Debs
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