In a "no contest" plea Coterra, formerly Cabot Oil and Gas, is being held accountable for ruining Dimock PA residents’ lives and contaminating their water

Montrose, PA - Officials from Coterra Energy appeared at the Susquehanna County Courthouse today to plead no contest to 15 criminal charges. Wes Gillingham, Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Associate Director, issued the following statement in response....

“Finally, after 14 years, the people of Dimock have had their day in court to fight the devastation wrought by Coterra Energy’s fracking operations (formerly Cabot Oil and Gas), and they prevailed. Today Coterra Energy was held accountable for the fracking that poisoned drinking water across nine square miles in Pennsylvania. 

Now that Coterra plead no contest to causing this catastrophe, the people of Pennsylvania need to know how many others have suffered the same fate so that they too may be vindicated. Coterra Energy needs to release the number of non-disclosure agreements as well as how many households have been getting water delivered to make up for the water poisoned by fracking.

Catskill Mountainkeeper has stood with the victims in Dimock, helping to bring a national spotlight to the failures here, drawing in political leaders from across the spectrum, and fighting for justice for all the families whose land, property, and lives have been destroyed by fracking. Further, the bravery and strength displayed by Dimock residents as they rallied against the toxic oil & gas industry played a vital role in galvanizing statewide support to successfully ban fracking in New York. Without their generous first-hand accounts, New York may not have known what we were up against, and what was on the line. We’re pleased that Coterra will be required to pay $16.29 million to provide a public water system for Dimock residents for the next 75 years, and hope that today’s penalties send the message that fracking companies will be held accountable for their toxic destruction.”

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