PennFuture Statement on Marcellus Shale Coalition Conference on Erie’s Bayfront

The fracking operations of those in attendance produce huge amounts of toxic wastewater, pollute groundwater and surface water, emit vast quantities of methane linked to climate change, threaten the health and safety of workers and communities, and release toxic air pollutants. Despite this, after leaving Pittsburgh a few years ago following great community and political opposition, the convening found a soft landing among Erie’s decision-makers for a second year.

CNX Resources, based in Pittsburgh, is a conference sponsor and presenter. CNX received plenty of attention over the last year after Governor Shapiro announced their partnership called “Radical Transparency,™” which allowed CNX to do voluntary air monitoring and data sharing. In a state with over 220,000 recorded wells drilled as of July 2024, only 14 sites are voluntarily monitored.

The Governor bought into the company’s attempts to separate itself from the growing evidence of human health harms associated with fracking in Pennsylvania. The project was launched after the state-funded University of Pittsburgh studies linking fracking proximity to childhood lymphomas, asthma, and poor birth outcomes.

After nine months of data collection, CNX claimed their sites prove fracking is “inherently good.” PennFuture deemed this Radical Overstatement (Not Trademarked) not just wrong but ridiculous.  

If CNX were as safe as advertised, they would not have been the subject of multiple violations and fines over the last six years. According to a report from Environmental Health News, “CNX has racked up more than 2,000 environmental violations by the PA DEP since 2004... The company also pleaded no contest to criminal charges for misreporting air pollution levels and violating the state’s Air Pollution Control Act in 2021.” CNX is now set to receive federal climate and environmental justice funds to continue this misleading self-reporting.

Lo and behold, CNX is scheduled to give the first general session at this week’s Shale InsightTM conference titled, “First-of-its-Kind Public-Private Collaboration Proving Natural Gas Development is Safe, Essential, and Inherently Good for Pennsylvania.” In other words, CNX’s radical overstatements will be on full display in Erie.

We are thankful for the Erie Mayor’s great leadership in withdrawing his participation in the conference as a welcome speaker after community members raised numerous concerns. If only the rest of Erie’s leadership would recognize the significant harm caused by CNX and other fossil fuel polluters, and the message it sends to welcome these actors to the waterfront of our Great Lake.