A house divided

I left the recent Delaware River Basin Commission hearing in Bethlehem, PA with a profound sense of sadness after hearing representatives of the Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance (NWPOA) petition the commission to move quickly on a water withdrawal permit that would allow Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC to remove one million gallons of water per day from the West Branch of the Delaware River.

What struck me was the “us versus them” mentality, a war of words evidencing a divide-and-conquer strategy.

Perhaps some of those who spoke would label me as a crazy New Yorker who doesn’t understand local interests, or dismiss me as an “environmentalist” (as if keeping things clean and green was a dirty business). Let me address both of these misconceptions:

But some of those New York folks are sincerely committed to local interests, much more so than the gas companies, who have already proven their disloyalty to local communities by refusing to conduct their business according to the law. According to the July 16 issue of The River Reporter, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection recently ordered U.S. Energy Corp. to cease drilling operations throughout Pennsylvania due to more than 302 violations of several environmental laws—laws meant to protect the livelihoods of local communities. And yet, in an excerpt taken directly from U.S. Energy’s website: “Environmental Stewardship—U.S. Energy Corp. is committed to the concept of sustainable development, using state-of-the-art mining techniques that produce essential natural resources while preserving the environment.”

My husband was a third-generation Sullivan County native; my son was born and raised here; I have lived and made my living in the Sullivan/Wayne County area for 35 years; and my husband and I built a local business that has given employment to numerous other local people. I shop locally whenever I can. I may not have hundreds of acres, but I pay taxes on the five acres that I do own, and I take good care of it.

And while there are many landowners interested in leasing who are struggling, hard-working farmers, living off their land and trying to hold on to their way of life, I also know of several landowners who are a far cry from this description: a member of a large hunting club, a retired business owner with inherited money and a local business owner who made money in real estate holdings, for example.

As for the accusation that the environmentalists were basing their claims on “pseudo-science:” yes, it’s difficult to document and conduct hard science on contamination because the gas companies have been reluctant to disclose to state and local officials what chemicals are being used in the fracking process. That is why Representatives DeGette and Hinchey have co-sponsored the “Frac Act,” so that this analysis can be made. In a recent statement, they pointed to “troubling incidents around the country” in which people living near drilling operations have fallen ill and have had their well-water contaminated. They say that chemicals known to be used in the fracking process include “diesel fuel, benzene, industrial solvents and other carcinogens and endocrine disrupters.” (Endocrine disrupters have effects on “male and female reproduction, breast cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid metabolism and obesity, and cardiovascular endocrinology.”)

When the gas companies have succeeded in destroying everyone’s way of life, we will see that we are really all on the same side. Bonus payments and royalties from natural gas extraction are not the “gifts from God” that some NWPOA members claim them to be. Rather, they may end up being the price we pay for selling the soul of this beautiful community.

[Joanne Wasserman lives in Milanville, PA, and is a member of grassroots environmentally concerned organizations including the Upper Delaware Community Network and the Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition.]