A MESSAGE FOR YOU I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since the historic ban on fracking in New York! I clearly remember the day former Governor Cuomo announced the ban. After years of hard work by so many, I felt overwhelming joy. Our strategic and unrelenting grassroots movement overcame all odds to defeat the oil and gas industry! This incredible accomplishment in New York energized movements around the world to ban fracking and keep fossil fuels in the ground. It showed we can fight against a powerful industry and win. It changed the political dynamic, leading to many more victories, including banning fracking in Mary- land, Washington, and California (which will join this list very soon) and stopping dozens of pipelines, power plants, and other fossil fuel projects. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the New York fracking ban, I want to thank you for your commitment to protecting our planet and our communities. Together, we’ll continue building on these wins and, against all odds, defeat the fossil fuel industry and build a livable future for all!
THE NEW YORK FRACKING BAN TURNS 10 — THANKS TO YOU! Over a decade ago, Dimock, a small town in Pennsylvania, became the focal point for the anti-fracking movement. It was featured in Gasland , a documen- tary about the fracking industry and its harmful impacts on communities — footage of contaminated water caused by fracking shocked the nation. Fracking’s Broken Promises In the late 2000s, fracking was hailed as a techno- logical breakthrough that would supply the country with plentiful fuel with less environmental harm than coal. The public and private sectors, including some major environmental organizations, hailed fracked gas as a “bridge fuel” to a renewable future. But as fracking swept through the country, it became increasingly clear — fracking is dangerous and destructive. As frontline communities like Dimock watched their once clean water become brown and undrinkable, their loved ones and animals come down with strange illnesses; the industry eyed its next big target, New York state.
Emily Wurth Managing Director of Organizing
Cover, clockwise from top left: 1. Mark Ruffalo at the benefit concert rally, by Jessica Riehl/ 2. Fracking ban celebration/ 3. Yoko Ono delivers petitions to the Governor/ 4. Activists at the People’s Climate March, by Simon Russell Photography/ 5. Pete Seeger at the State of the State rally/ 6, 9, & 11. Activists at the State of the State rally/ 7. Alex Beauchamp carrying signs for a D.C. rally/ 8. Jennifer Kolarsick at the People’s Climate March, by Simon Russell Photography/ 10. Activist with a New Yorkers Against Fracking (NYAF) sign.
1 | FALL 2024
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease