‘We are fighting for our lives’, says former gas worker and Pennsylvania resident Ray Kemble, whose water was poisoned by fracking in the industry
Press release / Issued by Climate Camp Ireland / Thursday, 4th August, 2022
Climate Camp Ireland has welcomed a victim of fracking from the area of the United States where fracked gas for the proposed Shannon LNG terminal in North Kerry would be extracted.
Ray Kemble, a former gas worker and resident of Pennsylvania, where his water well has been poisoned by fracking, joined the Climate Camp today and will speak at a press conference tomorrow (Friday) on site near Ballylongford.
“I’m here to tell my story and as a proud Irish-American, I’m hopeful that the people of Ireland will listen. This isn’t just an environmental and climate issue, this is a human rights issue. Those of us who live in the areas of the United States that are being fracked are fighting for our lives. It’s a public health disaster,” Ray Kemble said.
Kemble, who worked for the fracking industry and whose well water in his house was poisoned from fracking in 2010, has spoken out for years about the harm that fracking has caused in Pennsylvania. The Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Concerned Health Professionals of NY recently released a new report that outlines the over 2,000 scientific studies and reports outlining problems with fracking and related infrastructure across the US including water contamination, air pollution and public health impacts.[1]
Mark Ruffalo, actor and long-time anti-fracking advocate, who lives near the proposed LNG export terminal along the Delaware River, said:
“I’m proud to support the Climate Camp in Ireland that is raising awareness about the dangers of the proposed Shannon LNG terminal that would import gas from Pennsylvania and further devastate those communities. Ireland rightly banned fracking because of the environmental and public health impacts and should reject this terminal for those very same reasons.”
Julia Walsh from the US-based organisation Frack Action said:
“Those of us working to stop the oil and gas industry from poisoning our fellow Americans have seen how much this industry lies to get their way. The Irish people and government should not believe their lies. My organisation has been on the frontlines of this issue in the US and Ireland for over seven years now.
“Ireland truly has an opportunity to lead the world on climate and renewable energy, and to remain consistent with their legislative ban on fracking here in Ireland. To import fracked gas from the United States would be to ignore the health of our global community. They must reject this disastrous LNG terminal by New Fortress Energy.”
All of New Fortress Energy’s upstream operations in the US involve fracking. Kerry campaign group Safety Before LNG has compiled detailed evidence that the gas imported via the Shannon LNG terminal would be gas sourced from fracking in the US:
http://www.safetybeforelng.ie/images/EvidenceShannonLNGisForFrackedGasImports.pdf
About 70 people have gathered so far at the Climate Camp, which started on Tuesday and runs until Sunday, 7th August on farmland next to the site of the planned Shannon LNG fracked gas import terminal. Organisers expect hundreds of people to have visited the camp by Sunday.
The organisers have vowed to take direct action against new fossil fuel infrastructure and to stand up to the “powerful vested interests that are driving the planet towards destruction”.
The diverse programme of events at the Climate Camp includes workshops on fossil fuels, fracking and LNG; direct action training; connecting with nature; data centres and climate; immigrant solidarity; Irish conversation classes; food and seed sovereignty; community housing activism; and a radical art research space.
There is also music, céilí, poetry, a herbal plants walk, forest school and more. The Climate Camp is organised by activists from across Ireland and local campaigners.
The camp is at Saleen Pier, Tarbert, Co. Kerry. The eircode of the nearest property is V31 NH90.
You can contact Climate Camp Ireland at: climatecampireland@gmail.com. More information at climatecampireland.ie
ENDS
ABOUT CLIMATE CAMP IRELAND
Climate Camp Ireland is organised by a collective of environmental campaigners, community activists and others from across the island of Ireland. The main organising group is Slí Eile, an anti-capitalist climate action group.
Climate Camp Ireland has three main aims:
• Bringing people together to build a strong, radical climate movement on the island of Ireland
• Creating a collectively held space that provides a model of the society we want and need beyond capitalism
• Resisting the planned Shannon LNG terminal.
Email: climatecampireland@gmail.com
Web: https://climatecampireland.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sli_eile_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ireland.climatecamp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sli_eile/
NOTES
1. https://www.psr.org/blog/resource/fracking-compendium-8/
2. Detailed evidence that the gas imported via the Shannon LNG terminal would be gas sourced from fracking in the US:
http://www.safetybeforelng.ie/images/EvidenceShannonLNGisForFrackedGasImports.pdf