Our staff share their stories for World Environment Day.
We are all facing the challenges brought by the climate crisis, industrial agriculture, and fossil fuel interests in our daily lives. This week we’re sharing stories from our very own staff about how closely connected they are to the issues we work on and how they fight to protect our food, water, and climate every day. It’s just one way we’re all in this fight together.
My name is Ginny, and I’m the Eastern Pennsylvania Organizer at Food & Water Watch. In honor of World Environment Day, I’d like to share a personal story highlighting how pipeline companies damage communities in my state and how we’re fighting back.
For years, fossil fuel corporation Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) plan was for the Mariner East 2 and 2X pipelines to transport highly explosive natural gas liquids from fracking overseas to produce single-use plastics. Construction for this project wreaked havoc on my community and left us with dangerous pipelines.
In 2017, because of drilling being done for this project, the aquifer underneath my neighborhood was hit! The water that flowed from this spill destroyed the private wells residents relied on for drinking, cooking, and bathing. That’s when their dirty project really came to the forefront of my life.
My neighbors and I demanded an explanation. But, when we realized how difficult it was to get straight answers from Sunoco/ETP, and how likely they were to keep doing the dangerous drilling, we got to work, and I took on a new role — as an activist against the Mariner East pipelines.
We worked with Pennsylvania Senator Andy Dinniman to get temporary halts to the drilling and pursued longer-term moratoriums. We bird-dogged Sunoco/ETP every time something went wrong — like when Sunoco/ETP didn’t self-report as they’re required to do when sinkholes occurred.
My community and I are still fighting back against the threat of more pipeline construction. It’s a David vs. Goliath kind of battle, but we’ve carved out essential wins along the way.
These fights don’t just affect one person — they affect entire communities, states, and the country. And though my story involves the Mariner East 2 pipeline, it reflects the kinds of fights going on in communities nationwide. It’s why I joined Food & Water Watch because we’re in this together, and we’re making lasting change. Join us in the fight to secure safe water and a livable climate for future generations — make a gift today.
Food & Water Watch and its affiliated organization, Food & Water Action, are advocacy groups with a common mission to protect our food, water and climate.
This email was sent to [email protected]— and we're glad you got it because it's one of the most important ways you can reclaim political power, hold elected officials accountable and resist corporate control.We're excited to keep working together to make an impact! But if you need to, you can
adjust your preferences or unsubscribe.
