To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
Protesters in a Pittsburgh suburb stopped traffic at Southpointe, an industrial park that's home to Halliburton and 14 other energy companies seeking to capitalize on the Marcellus Shale--while polluting the surrounding communities. (Photo: @RisingTideNA/Twitter)
Holding a banner reading "We won't stop--There's too much at stake," demonstrators shut down morning traffic at an office park outside Pittsburgh on Monday, in protest of the harmful effects 15 energy companies in the complex have on the environment.
\u201cSeas are rising they telling me. Seas rising & so are we. So rise up! Rise up! Rise up like the sea. #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511180514
The protesters set up two tripod structures in the middle fn a main intersection leading to Southpointe, a 589-acre property in suburban Washington County, Pennsylvania--home to companies including Halliburton, Chesapeake Energy, and Range Resources, all of which participate in fracking and mining.
Two community members climbed onto the tripods while three others sat between them with their arms in lockboxes for about four hours before police broke up the demonstration, according to Rising Tide North America, a grassroots environmental group.
A woman who was seated between the structures said the companies that operate at Southpointe are "impacting our lives every day in our communities. I've been run off the road twice because of truck traffic. I have to wonder about the health of my daughter every day living within a half mile of gas wells."
She added that "the coal operator here is also destroying our only state park," referring to the efforts of Consol Energy, another company at Southpointe, to obtain a mining permit for Ryerson Station State Park.
A community member named Patrick Young said that the disruption of traffic into the office park can't be compared to the damage being done by the companies.
\u201cPatrick talks about the effects of fracking in PA and the local area. #southpointe #wewontstop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511186700
Energy companies have flocked to Southpointe in recent years as the gas and oil industries have sought to capitalize on the Marcellus shale, the sprawling rock formation underneath western New York and Pennsylvania, over which thousands of wells have been set up for fracking and mining. Last year, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection found more than 250 cases of contamination and other negative impacts of fracking in private water supplies in the state.
Environmental activist Ruth Breech described the scene as the protest successfully stopped traffic and police arrived to break up the protest.
\u201c.@ruthinajosefina explains what\u2019s happening now in the ground at #southpointe. #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511187935
The grassroots organization Rising Tide tweeted at about 10:00am that police had begun arresting the protesters, linking to a legal defense fund for the community members.
\u201cACTIVISTS ARRESTED: After 4 hours blocking fossil fuel industrial park in Southpointe, PA, police arrested activists who were attached to tripods. Local residents said: we will stop at nothing to protect our families. Legal Defense Fund https://t.co/nEj4PU2bJF #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511190694
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Holding a banner reading "We won't stop--There's too much at stake," demonstrators shut down morning traffic at an office park outside Pittsburgh on Monday, in protest of the harmful effects 15 energy companies in the complex have on the environment.
\u201cSeas are rising they telling me. Seas rising & so are we. So rise up! Rise up! Rise up like the sea. #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511180514
The protesters set up two tripod structures in the middle fn a main intersection leading to Southpointe, a 589-acre property in suburban Washington County, Pennsylvania--home to companies including Halliburton, Chesapeake Energy, and Range Resources, all of which participate in fracking and mining.
Two community members climbed onto the tripods while three others sat between them with their arms in lockboxes for about four hours before police broke up the demonstration, according to Rising Tide North America, a grassroots environmental group.
A woman who was seated between the structures said the companies that operate at Southpointe are "impacting our lives every day in our communities. I've been run off the road twice because of truck traffic. I have to wonder about the health of my daughter every day living within a half mile of gas wells."
She added that "the coal operator here is also destroying our only state park," referring to the efforts of Consol Energy, another company at Southpointe, to obtain a mining permit for Ryerson Station State Park.
A community member named Patrick Young said that the disruption of traffic into the office park can't be compared to the damage being done by the companies.
\u201cPatrick talks about the effects of fracking in PA and the local area. #southpointe #wewontstop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511186700
Energy companies have flocked to Southpointe in recent years as the gas and oil industries have sought to capitalize on the Marcellus shale, the sprawling rock formation underneath western New York and Pennsylvania, over which thousands of wells have been set up for fracking and mining. Last year, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection found more than 250 cases of contamination and other negative impacts of fracking in private water supplies in the state.
Environmental activist Ruth Breech described the scene as the protest successfully stopped traffic and police arrived to break up the protest.
\u201c.@ruthinajosefina explains what\u2019s happening now in the ground at #southpointe. #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511187935
The grassroots organization Rising Tide tweeted at about 10:00am that police had begun arresting the protesters, linking to a legal defense fund for the community members.
\u201cACTIVISTS ARRESTED: After 4 hours blocking fossil fuel industrial park in Southpointe, PA, police arrested activists who were attached to tripods. Local residents said: we will stop at nothing to protect our families. Legal Defense Fund https://t.co/nEj4PU2bJF #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511190694
Holding a banner reading "We won't stop--There's too much at stake," demonstrators shut down morning traffic at an office park outside Pittsburgh on Monday, in protest of the harmful effects 15 energy companies in the complex have on the environment.
\u201cSeas are rising they telling me. Seas rising & so are we. So rise up! Rise up! Rise up like the sea. #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511180514
The protesters set up two tripod structures in the middle fn a main intersection leading to Southpointe, a 589-acre property in suburban Washington County, Pennsylvania--home to companies including Halliburton, Chesapeake Energy, and Range Resources, all of which participate in fracking and mining.
Two community members climbed onto the tripods while three others sat between them with their arms in lockboxes for about four hours before police broke up the demonstration, according to Rising Tide North America, a grassroots environmental group.
A woman who was seated between the structures said the companies that operate at Southpointe are "impacting our lives every day in our communities. I've been run off the road twice because of truck traffic. I have to wonder about the health of my daughter every day living within a half mile of gas wells."
She added that "the coal operator here is also destroying our only state park," referring to the efforts of Consol Energy, another company at Southpointe, to obtain a mining permit for Ryerson Station State Park.
A community member named Patrick Young said that the disruption of traffic into the office park can't be compared to the damage being done by the companies.
\u201cPatrick talks about the effects of fracking in PA and the local area. #southpointe #wewontstop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511186700
Energy companies have flocked to Southpointe in recent years as the gas and oil industries have sought to capitalize on the Marcellus shale, the sprawling rock formation underneath western New York and Pennsylvania, over which thousands of wells have been set up for fracking and mining. Last year, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection found more than 250 cases of contamination and other negative impacts of fracking in private water supplies in the state.
Environmental activist Ruth Breech described the scene as the protest successfully stopped traffic and police arrived to break up the protest.
\u201c.@ruthinajosefina explains what\u2019s happening now in the ground at #southpointe. #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511187935
The grassroots organization Rising Tide tweeted at about 10:00am that police had begun arresting the protesters, linking to a legal defense fund for the community members.
\u201cACTIVISTS ARRESTED: After 4 hours blocking fossil fuel industrial park in Southpointe, PA, police arrested activists who were attached to tripods. Local residents said: we will stop at nothing to protect our families. Legal Defense Fund https://t.co/nEj4PU2bJF #WeWontStop\u201d— Rising Tide North America (@Rising Tide North America) 1511190694