A version of this conversation aired during Morning Edition on WVIA Radio.
As Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump spar over fracking on the campaign trail, residents of Dimock, a rural community in Susquehanna County are feeling forgotten, even as they continue to take action against fracking pollution in their region.
While the candidates hammer each other on their fracking stances, WVIA’s Isabela Weiss has been spending time with the residents of Dimock.
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SARAH: All right, let's start with Dimock. So as you note in your story, the town gained notoriety in 2010 thanks to the documentary 'Gasland.' So, what have the residents been trying to do about fracking in the area since then?
ISABELA: Yeah, so since 2010 they've been trying to keep up awareness of the issue. I mean, a lot of residents still don't have clean water. I spoke to a resident named Ray Kemble who actually carts in his water every week. He has not used his well since 2009. So they started a group called the Dimock Environmental Research Center, and just opened a physical location as well in the past few months.
SARAH: Okay, so now both candidates, like we said before, are talking about fracking on the campaign trail. Trump insists Harris is in favor of a ban on fracking, while Harris says she no longer supports that. Let's drill down a little bit here- not to use a pun - what could a president actually do about fracking?
ISABELA: So, regardless of who's president, come November, I mean, it's unlikely to change really the fracking situation. I mean, no president can really do anything about fracking unless they can ban it on federal lands. And Dimock is not on federal lands. Harris, she originally said that she would ban fracking, and yet, with the inflation Reduction Act, it actually opened new leases for offshore drilling - for fracking, specifically.
SARAH: So why do you think this is such a hot button issue on the campaign trail?
ISABELA: I think it's because Pennsylvania is a swing state. Fracking is a major part of our economy. I mean, we are the second largest natural gas producer in the country. They really are sparring over Pennsylvania more than anything else, and fracking has become a hot topic for these two candidates.
SARAH: So getting back to the residents of Dimock, as we said before, their time in the spotlight was way back in 2010. So what are they feeling right now about this conversation and about things that have happened since the documentary?
ISABELA: A lot of residents are incredibly upset. I mean, like I stated before, a lot of them still don't have clean water. They have to port it in. Also back in 2022 there was ruling that specifically Cabot (Oil and Gas), now Coterra, has to pay Pennsylvania American Water about $16 million to establish a new water line. However that water line has not been built yet. The documents say it needs to be built by 2027, but residents haven't seen anything up to this point. Also, there was a separate ruling that came out on the same date as that 2022 ruling that ended a moratorium on fracking in Dimock, and so fracking has resumed again. I mean, old fracking was already going on, but now there are new pipelines being built. Twelve to fifteen lateral lines underneath Dimock are being built right now. So a lot of residents are feeling forgotten, forgotten by the Department of Environmental Protection, forgotten by Josh Shapiro, who, at the time, was the AG, the Attorney General, and now as governor they feel like he has done very little to protect them.
SARAH: So where do these residents find the line between wanting to protect their environment, protect their water and jobs? When we talk about fracking a lot on the campaign trail, what comes up quite often is the amount of jobs that it can bring to the region. So do you find that the residents of Dimock struggle with that?
ISABELA: A little bit. There is a struggle on that issue. A lot of the residents that I have spoken to specifically are the ones who are against fracking. However, there is a separate group of residents who usually go by slogans like Dimock proud, who are very proud of the fracking industry in the area. They are very happy to have now Coterra Energy working in the area, so there's a lot of tension there.
SARAH: Well Isabela, as always thank you for your coverage and we'll be sure to follow along as this story develops. Thanks for coming on.
ISABELA: Absolutely, thanks Sarah.
