This is what indigenous resistance to fracking looks like in Pennsylvania

Tribal leaders and Pittsburgh's mayor addressed the crowd protesting a fracking convention in Pittsburgh today—while acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler addressed the crowd of industry leaders inside.

Editor's note: This is a follow-up to yesterday's story, Fracking conference and opposing tribal rally highlight competing visions for Western Pennsylvania's future, which offers an in-depth explanation of the issues discussed below.

PITTSBURGH—Just after 10 a.m. today, a faithkeeper of the Wolf Clan of the Seneca Nation stood facing the water where the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers converge, and let out three sharp cries as a coal barge drifted beneath one of the city's iconic bridges.


The October sky was a clear, bright blue, and a cold wind blew fluffy clouds by overhead. A crowd of about 70, bundled up in coats and hats, gathered behind the faithkeeper, surrounding the fountain in downtown Pittsburgh's Point State Park. Despite its size, the crowd remained silent—aside from from the faithkeeper's cries, the only other sounds were the rushing of the waters and the shriek of distant train whistles.

Degawenodas, was one of two indigenous tribal faith leaders who traveled to Pittsburgh to lead a water ceremony aimed at protecting the three rivers. The event, which was followed by a rally, was planned to coincide with a massive fracking convention taking place in downtown Pittsburgh at the same time. Both the ceremony and the rally, which were coordinated in collaboration with at least 15 local and national environmental groups, were in opposition to the profusion of new fracking wells, pipelines, and petrochemical industry infrastructure currently under development in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the threats they pose to waterways in the region and beyond.

The opposing events epitomize an ongoing national struggle between indigenous groups, environmentalists, and the oil and gas industry.

"The extractive relationship we have with this water and this land is like that of an addict to a drug," Sharon Day, an Ojibwe "Water Walker" from Minnesota who co-lead the ritual, told the crowd. "That boom and bust—we always tell ourselves that this time it will be different, but deep down we know that it won't."

During the hour-long water ceremony (which the leaders requested not to be photographed or recorded), incense was burned and sacred herbs were strewn on the ground and into the rivers. Day led the crowd in the singing of an Ojibwe water song with lyrics that translate to, "Water, we love you, we thank you, we respect you."

Anti-fracking demonstrators leave the Point in Pittsburgh following a native water ceremony.Kristina Marusic/EHN


Kristina Marusic/EHN


Kristina Marusic/EHN

Members of the crowd who'd brought small containers of water from the rivers, streams and tributaries near their homes throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York that eventually feed into the Ohio, the Monongahela, or the Allegheny Rivers, commingled the water they'd carried from home in a small tin bucket so that Day could bless them before pouring them into the rivers, "sending them home."

Following the ceremony, the crowd took up signs and banners then walked through downtown Pittsburgh to the David L. Convention Center, where the 2018 Shale Insight Convention is currently underway, featuring acting US EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler as one of the keynote speakers.



Marching from the Pointyoutu.be


Kristina Marusic/EHN

The march ended at the convention center, which sits directly alongside the Allegheny River. The crowd chanted, sang, and danced to protest the continued expansion of the natural oil and gas industry in the region and the associated threats to the region's water and human health.


YouTubeyoutu.be


Lydia Green interviewwww.youtube.com

At one point, a man wearing a Donald Trump mask and a Shale Insight Convention name badge appeared on a balcony of the convention center above, and appeared to chant alongside the demonstrators.

Trump maskyoutu.be

Around 15 speakers addressed the crowd, including Degawenodas, Day, and other indigenous tribal leaders; representatives from environmental groups; residents of nearby Washington County, which is among the most heavily-fracked counties in the nation; and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto.

Guy Jones, an Ohio resident and member of the Standing Rock Sioux, addresses anti-fracking protesters outside the 2018 Shale Insight Convention in PittsburghKristina Marusic/EHN

Peduto spoke about the original people of this land and referred to Trump's infamous "Pittsburgh, not Paris" tweet, saying that once again, Pittsburgh is "at the very heart of the environmental movement in the U.S. and far beyond."

He ended his remarks by saying, "The question is, what will we do to begin to play offense, instead of constantly playing defense? It begins with what we do with our air and our water."

Peduto speechyoutu.be

The mayor was heckled a number of times throughout his speech, with members of the crowd calling out things like,"Condemn the cracker plant!" They were referring to the massive Shell ethane cracker—one of five planned for the region—currently being built in neighboring Beaver County. To date, the mayor has declined to overtly speak out against the ethane cracker, stating that because it's being built outside his jurisdiction, it isn't appropriate.

Still, following his remarks, Peduto was warmly embraced by several members of the crowd.

Kristina Marusic/EHN

Kristina Marusic/EHN

The 2018 Shale Insight Convention is still running through Thursday, and a number of other protests and several film screenings are planned. Representatives from the Shale Insight Convention did not return our requests for comment, and EHN's request for press credentials to attend the event were denied.


Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misidentified Degawenodas as a faithkeeper of the Seneca Nation.

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.
Credit: Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Flickr

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro ran on a promise to regulate Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry more stringently. Two years into his term, the Environmental Health Project, a public health advocacy nonprofit focused on fracking, has published a report that assesses the Shapiro administration’s progress.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
An NOAA truck with a weather satellite on the back.

Trump’s government cuts disrupt NOAA forecasts and data collection

President Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce have triggered firings, operational cuts, and email security problems at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Oliver Milman reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Courtroom with a jury box and judge's bench.
Credit: Pixabay

Trump EPA’s fraud claims stall in court as green bank funding freeze drags on

Federal court documents reveal the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump has yet to produce evidence of fraud in a $20 billion climate grant program it moved to freeze earlier this year.

Lisa Friedman and Claire Brown report for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Wind turbines in grass field during golden hour.

Texas lawmakers move to restrict growth of wind and solar power

Texas and other Republican-led states are advancing legislation that could slow or block new renewable energy projects, as political momentum shifts back toward fossil fuels.

David Montgomery reports for Stateline.

Keep reading...Show less
Person wearing green jacket with the word Greenpeace on the back.

Greenpeace verdict over pipeline protest defamation could spell problems for environmental activism and speech

A North Dakota jury found Greenpeace defamed pipeline builder Energy Transfer during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, awarding $250 million in defamation damages. What does it mean for environmental activism and free speech?

Karen Zraick reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
A petrochemical plant on the water at nighttime.

Petrochemical industry struggles with overcapacity, rising costs, and shaky green investments

Executives at a Houston conference warned that global overbuilding, slow economic growth, and policy uncertainty are shaking the foundation of the petrochemical industry as it faces pressure to go greener.

Alexander Tullo reports for Chemical & Engineering News.

Keep reading...Show less
The word plastic spelled out in multicolored letters.

Plastic ban in Bangladesh struggles as eco-friendly bags face high costs

Government raids in Dhaka reveal the ongoing failure of Bangladesh’s plastic bag ban, as consumers and businesses continue to rely on cheap, single-use polythene bags.

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla reports for Mongabay.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Agents of Change in Environmental Justice logo

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.