Before even officially taking office, Pennsylvania’s Governor-elect, Tom Wolf has spawned some not so favorable memes.
When asked about New York’s ban on fracking, Wolf called New York’s decision unfortunate. “I want to have my cake and eat it, too. I don’t want to do what New York did,” he said.
What New York did was to place the health of its people first. It is unfortunate Wolf is placing the health of Pennsylvania’s somewhere further down the list.
For those paying attention during the 2014 Governor campaigns, this should have come as no surprise. Wolf didn’t run on a promise to protect the health of the people, he ran on more industrializing Pennsylvania via more drilling, more pipelines, more midstream infrastructure and more money via a severance tax.
Wolf didn’t win the election because people thought he would be best for the job. Frankly given Corbett’s record and lack of public approval a bag of door knobs would have beaten him. People voted for Wolf because he was seen as the lesser of two evils, which is still an evil, and that’s unfortunate.
This past September, I attended a Luzerne County Democratic Committee picnic. The then candidate for Lt. Governor, Mike Stack was there. He spoke to the crowd and talked about Pennsylvania’s greatest resource being the Marcellus Shale, then caught himself, and quickly said but the greatest real resource is the people of Pennsylvania.
It is unfortunate that Stack couldn’t remember which crowd he was speaking to, and which talking point to utter.
The industry’s Frack-Fairy tales have been dispelled many times over, so it is unfortunate Wolf, like Corbett and Rendell before him continue to believe the industry will sprinkle sparklies and rainbows across Pennsylvania.
Wolf did say he would create a health registry. One already exists. It’s call the List of the Harmed.
The List of the Harmed has over 7,500 entries of people who are unfortunate to be in the way of the industry.
Let’s look at a few of them:
- Pam Judy and family
- Location: Carmichaels, PA
- Gas Facility: Compressor station 780 feet away
- Exposure: Air
- Symptoms: Headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, nosebleeds, blood test show exposure to benzene and other chemicals
- Darrell Smitsky
- Location: Hickory, PA
- Gas Facility: Range Resources Well, less than 1,000 ft
- Exposure: Water – toluene, acrylonitrile, strontium, barium, manganese
- Symptoms: Rashes on legs from showering.
- Symptoms (animal): Five healthy goats dead; fish in pond showing abnormal scales; another neighbor comments anonymously
- Stacey Haney
- Location: Washington County, PA
- Gas Facility: Range Resources gas well and 7 acre waste impoundment
- Exposure: Water – glycol and arsenic
- Symptoms: Son – stomach, (liver and kidney) pain, nausea, fatigue and mouth ulcers; daughter – similar symptoms
- Symptoms (animal): Dogs – death; goat – death; horse – sick
- Mary McConnell
- Location: Bedford County,PA
- Gas Facility: Columbia Gas storage field
- Exposure: Air – methane
- Symptoms: Headaches, breathing difficulties, sore muscles and other health issues
These people and many more would like help to get their health, homes and life back. They do not want cake.
© 2014 by Dory Hippauf
Wolf will regret those words one day; He’s another advocate for the Fossil Fuel Industry and we continue to be sacrificed to Industry in this polluted State….Wolf snuck into Dimock and talked to a few residents without press and without notifying the local Democratic Party head ; talked to a few and left without a word to anyone. He continues to support the Industry over the people and couldn’t even appreciate NY’s decision to ban and ask for the health study and evidence NY has of the negative impacts. We asked him multiple times before the election to come on a Citizen Gas Tour and he never did….I did not vote for him….
A-ho, Dory! Thinking I might take a cake (to throw) to the Wolf inaugural.
It has taken a few days to get my head around these events. Wolf has certainly lost my respect by making the “unfortunate” statement and the cake remark. I think historically the let them eat cake remark did not end well…history repeats itself? I would like to think the PA folks would be galvanized by these remarks but alas I have waited for 7 years for PA to care and it has not happened. If the people of PA want a safer environment then they must work for it. NY did. It is not the flawed politicians who change the world. NY pushed their elected. PA rolls over and says frack our kids for cash. Sorry, but that is how I see it. I have already responded to the Wolf response-of course I have only heard back from one very good man. If I thought the number of concerned PA residents would rise up and demand the same for their children that the NY children will now have I would work harder than I ever did…but I know PA. PA is the getting place and she will be got.
Over and over and over again, those working for a ban in NY were told-often by their own allies-that a ban was impossible. We didn’t listen. Because we knew that what was really impossible was having a normal, healthy, enjoyable life in the middle of a huge shale gas factory.
In many ways, PA is in a more difficult position than NY was-the shale gas industry is already entrenched in PA, PA’s outgoing governor was a disaster on this issue, and the incoming governor thinks he can have his cake and eat it too and apparently also thinks that it’s “unfortunate” when a public official acts to protect the health of his constituents. However, PA now has something that NY did not have: it has NY’s ban-a ban that was based largely on health concerns. It is my hope that NY’s ban is just the beginning-that soon we will see other shale states following NY’s example. But this is something that definitely will not happen without a lot of hard work.
I find Wolf’s comment strangely appropriate. After all, the only way to have your cake and eat it too is to eat the cake, upchuck, and then live with the mess. Seems like a good metaphor in this case-not that I think the people of PA should put up with it.
I worked hard to rid Pa of the KKK. Klaber-Krancer—-Korbett. It was a good start. There was senators and legislators who were in the welfare lines of the oil & gas producers who were also removed. With every bit of construction , there has to be a bit of destruction. Josh Fox showed us in Gasland # 2 that we had a democracy problem. We have to introduce people who care for the rights of everyone and not just the money changers to run for all offices and take appointments to boards. Being at the table has more clout with a voice and a vote , than outside in the cold yelling at the decision makers. It all breaks down to commitment and fighting on. We are making progress. Now to be more vocal so that everyone can hear us. Fight on.