A New National Spotlight Shines on Josh Shapiro’s Contested Environmental

It was supposed to be a triumphant moment. Five months ago, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro traveled to a union hall in Scranton to announce a new energy plan his administration touted as a “bold vision for Pennsylvania’s energy future.” 

But his speech was interrupted with a searing question from a resident of a Pennsylvania town that became infamous for fracking-related water contamination more than 14 years ago. 

“When are you going to come back to Dimock?” Ray Kemble asked before he was escorted out. “I’ve got no water in the house. You know it, and you threw us under the bus.” 

Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for the governor, said Shapiro “will never forget the people of Dimock—and he has been working diligently alongside the Public Utilities Commision to ensure the public water line he secured gets built as quickly as possible.” 

The public water line for Dimock residents was part of a plea agreement reached by then-Attorney General Shapiro with the company involved, Coterra Energy, in 2022. Two years later, some Dimock residents still do not have clean running water. Kemble’s anger is not just about the water line, it’s also about the quiet decision by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to lift a 12-year moratorium on fracking in the town the day after the agreement was announced, allowing Coterra to drill in the area once again. 

Now, with Shapiro reportedly on Vice President Kamala Harris’ shortlist of potential running mates, Kemble and others in Dimock want the American public to know what happened to them—and why they feel betrayed by the governor.

“He couldn’t even look at me,” Kemble said in a recent interview, remembering his attempt to get answers from Shapiro in Scranton. “And he knows who I am.”  

Kemble added: “He’s done everything just the opposite of what he said he was going to do. I mean, everything he’s been doing is for industry. The hell with the people.”

Shapiro’s spokesman said the governor, when he was attorney general, “secured a historic settlement for Pennsylvanians living in Dimock—getting Coterra Energy to finally take responsibility for polluting residents’ water and commit to building a new $16 million public water line to provide clean, reliable drinking water for generations to come.” Bonder added: “The Governor and his Administration have been working aggressively to make good on these commitments and continue delivering for the people of Dimock.”

In a statement at the time of the settlement, a Coterra spokesman said the company “strives to follow best practices, exceed industry standards, and to continue to be a valuable community partner.” Dimock’s water contamination was featured in a 2010 documentary, “Gasland.” One scene showed a resident lighting his tap water on fire.