Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Dimock resident comments following Monday's Scranton times-tribune article

Victoria Switzer, quoted in the Scranton paper Monday (see post) airs the frustrations she has endured over the past year or more, as the gas drilling industry and elected officials continue to ignore the irresponsible destruction caused to people's lives, homes and environment by the industry:

Do you know how bizarre it is to have been telling this story to your friends for over a year... nearly two and then have them all sign up with a gas company? It is soooo beyond anything "normal" that I am in a state of disbelief and disappointment most of the time. Yes they say that it is toooo bad you don't drink your water, but gee, the $6ooo an acre is hard to pass up.

So today, after the news article in the Scranton paper, Cabot calls saying they will bring us water..."We always meant to do that!" "We've just been too busy with the CHEMICAL spills."... I've seen the water come down the road in the back of a truck, plastic cubes of water - from where? Where does that water come from and is IT tested? My husband is wry and he said, "Hmm, now we know what they do with the frack water..."
So I get to build my American Dream... a home... that I own (not really because I signed a gas lease), a home for our grandkids to come and play in the creek. Trading water for gas...

Understand that Cabot did NOT promise us water at the Sept. 16 meeting ... their water specialist laughed (smirked) at Norma (Fiorentino)'s pleas for water... and when she said "What do I have to do to get water? Sue you?" Cabot replied, "You can, but you'll lose." I called everyone after the meeting to see if Cabot had called and offered them any recourse. Everyone said no. People tell me they repeat my story and people respond: that can't be true... Why?
BECAUSE [THEY] CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH?

Congressman Carney's wife was at our meeting. She told Cabot you will have to supply water to these people and I don't mean bottled water but a water supply. She was visably shaken. Yet when I called her in a followup call she stated "Well, you people will have to sue them".
So much for elected officials looking out for their constituents!

In ten months time our coveted royalty payment have decreased more than 75%, so there goes the economic boom for us. We were locked into experimental wells with out our knowledge. We had over 30 vertical wells -experimental wells- faulty casing, cement and all, within a 5 mile walk... aren't we special!

I have been telling this story, but no one wants to hear it: Sandra Major, Tina Pickett, Lisa Baker, Chris Carney, Bob Casey, Gene Yaw, Craig S. Lobins, Mark Carmen, Sec. Hangar, and Gov. Rendell.

WE ARE DIMOCK AND WE ARE NOT AN ANOMALY!


Please -take up this cause- if you do not have a place to treat the wastewater, how can you issue permits? Shouldn't you have a plan for your waste water before the permit is issued? It says so in PA Code. Permits? That is a joke.. permits are not even accurate...anything goes... get her done. Fines? DEP told me that if they fined the gas co. too much they would not report spills but hide them... Now that's a quality industry that now owns our state lands and water... if DEP knows they can't be trusted? Well, there you have it.
Sleep well folks... I sure don't...

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY!

2 comments:

  1. I simply do not know how Victoria and her husband can live through this life-changing disaster in Dimock. I know that they are being as practical and realistic as humanly possible, but the frustration and sense of betrayal must be overwhelming. Thank goodness they speak out. Otherwise we would not know the extent of the damage Cabot is doing.

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