Marcellus Shale Documentary Project
The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project documented the social, environmental and economic effects of unconventional natural gas (methane) extraction (commonly known as "fracking") within the borders of Pennsylvania. Photographers Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Lynn Johnson, Scott Goldsmith and Martha Rial, designer Brett Yasko and curator Laura Domencic collaborated for over a year to produce a body of work that opened as an exhibit in Pittsburgh in 2012, and which traveled until the spring of 2016. The project also published a book, available at the shop at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. This first phase of the MSDP has been featured in the New York Times, and on wired.com, amongst others. The physical exhibit was visited by over 25,000 people during its travels, and was designated one of the top ten exhibits of 2012 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
MSDP has been generously supported by The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, The William Penn Foundation, The Sprout Fund, the Donald and Sylvia Robinson Foundation, and by a number of private donors including Josh Whetzel, Nancy Bernstein, and Cathy Raphael.
Captions:
1 View of a Chevron gas drilling rig in Franklin Township, PA in 2012. Wells are being drilled across the state of Pennsylvania to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale, a rock formation that extends throughout much of the Appalachian Basin. Gas companies are using a technique known as hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", which involves pumping fluid into wells at high pressure in order to fracture the rock formation and release the gas.
2 Carol Jean "Jeannie" Moton poses for a portrait at her home in Avella, PA in 2012. Moton says she has had health problems including skin lesions and rashes, hot flashes and bone pain since the first Marcellus Shale well was drilled near her home in 2006. She says several of her neighbors, including her mother, have become ill. She suspects that contaminated water contributed to the recent death of her father as well as the death of her dog and her neighbor's dog. "This is not a safe practice", she said, "I've been through hell".
3 Skylar Sowatskey, 3, poses for a portrait near her home in Connoquenessing Township, PA in 2012. Her mother claims that their water was contaminated after several Marcellus Shale gas wells were drilled in the area between 2010 and 2011. The family plans to move from their home, where they have lived for 16 years.
4 Fred McIntyre poses for a portrait at his home in Connoquenessing Township, PA in 2012. McIntyre, who has lived in his home for 20 years, claims that his water turned purple and foamy after several Marcellus Shale gas wells were drilled in the area in January of 2011. He and his family now drink only bottled water.
5 View of a Consol Energy gas drilling rig along Archer Road in Morris Township, PA in 2012.
6 View of a Range Resources gas drilling rig along Skyline Drive in Hickory, PA in 2011.
7 View of the Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery in Marcus Hook, PA in 2011. The Refinery, which has since been idled, has been talked about as a potential site for a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal to process and export gas from the Marcellus Shale.
8 View of a natural gas pipeline construction site along Valley Chapel Road in East Finley, PA in 2012.
9 View of a natural gas pipeline under construction in Franklin Township, PA in 2012.
10 View of the U.S. Steel plant in Lorain, Ohio in 2016. The Lorain Tubular Operations plant has an annual production capacity of 780,0000 net tons of oil country tubular goods, including drill pipe and other products used by the oil and gas industry.
11 Mollie Caryll poses for a portrait at her home in Valley Grove, WV in 2016. Caryll, who lives near several well pads and a large compressor station, says her health has been affected by energy industry activities. Caryll said she was forced to leave her job as a bank manager due to extreme fatigue, headaches, skin rashes and endocrine disorders, all of which began suddenly after the start of drilling activity in the area. She and her husband Dan moved to the house six years ago, hoping for a quiet place to retire. "We did everything right ", she said, "then it all changed overnight."
MSDP has been generously supported by The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, The William Penn Foundation, The Sprout Fund, the Donald and Sylvia Robinson Foundation, and by a number of private donors including Josh Whetzel, Nancy Bernstein, and Cathy Raphael.
Captions:
1 View of a Chevron gas drilling rig in Franklin Township, PA in 2012. Wells are being drilled across the state of Pennsylvania to extract gas from the Marcellus Shale, a rock formation that extends throughout much of the Appalachian Basin. Gas companies are using a technique known as hydraulic fracturing or "fracking", which involves pumping fluid into wells at high pressure in order to fracture the rock formation and release the gas.
2 Carol Jean "Jeannie" Moton poses for a portrait at her home in Avella, PA in 2012. Moton says she has had health problems including skin lesions and rashes, hot flashes and bone pain since the first Marcellus Shale well was drilled near her home in 2006. She says several of her neighbors, including her mother, have become ill. She suspects that contaminated water contributed to the recent death of her father as well as the death of her dog and her neighbor's dog. "This is not a safe practice", she said, "I've been through hell".
3 Skylar Sowatskey, 3, poses for a portrait near her home in Connoquenessing Township, PA in 2012. Her mother claims that their water was contaminated after several Marcellus Shale gas wells were drilled in the area between 2010 and 2011. The family plans to move from their home, where they have lived for 16 years.
4 Fred McIntyre poses for a portrait at his home in Connoquenessing Township, PA in 2012. McIntyre, who has lived in his home for 20 years, claims that his water turned purple and foamy after several Marcellus Shale gas wells were drilled in the area in January of 2011. He and his family now drink only bottled water.
5 View of a Consol Energy gas drilling rig along Archer Road in Morris Township, PA in 2012.
6 View of a Range Resources gas drilling rig along Skyline Drive in Hickory, PA in 2011.
7 View of the Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery in Marcus Hook, PA in 2011. The Refinery, which has since been idled, has been talked about as a potential site for a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal to process and export gas from the Marcellus Shale.
8 View of a natural gas pipeline construction site along Valley Chapel Road in East Finley, PA in 2012.
9 View of a natural gas pipeline under construction in Franklin Township, PA in 2012.
10 View of the U.S. Steel plant in Lorain, Ohio in 2016. The Lorain Tubular Operations plant has an annual production capacity of 780,0000 net tons of oil country tubular goods, including drill pipe and other products used by the oil and gas industry.
11 Mollie Caryll poses for a portrait at her home in Valley Grove, WV in 2016. Caryll, who lives near several well pads and a large compressor station, says her health has been affected by energy industry activities. Caryll said she was forced to leave her job as a bank manager due to extreme fatigue, headaches, skin rashes and endocrine disorders, all of which began suddenly after the start of drilling activity in the area. She and her husband Dan moved to the house six years ago, hoping for a quiet place to retire. "We did everything right ", she said, "then it all changed overnight."
12 Dennis Copley poses for a portrait at his home in Mogadore, Ohio in 2016. Copley lives across the road from a large terminal along the Mariner West Pipeline, which transports ethane from the Marcellus and Utica shales to Canada for processing. His parents built the house by hand in 1963. Copley says his property values have declined drastically since the rapid expansion of the terminal, which is 300 feet from his home. He is concerned about water pollution, the facility is a quarter mile from a reservoir, and he claims that the tanks have occasionally leaked or overflowed. He also worries about a the potential for a serious accident. He says has been unable to find an attorney to represent his interests "The industry has a lot more money than we do." Copley said, "It's unfortunate that they don't see what we're going through."
13 Kerri Bond poses for a portrait in Senecaville, Ohio in 2016. Her home in Seneca Township is 1200 feet from a well pad and a half mile from a natural gas compressor station. Bond claims the area has undergone drastic environmental changes since the industry came to the area in 2011. She says that many trees in the surrounding forest have died, and the vegetables she grows in her garden are often badly deformed. Bond says she now experiences nosebleeds, skin sores and rashes, respiratory problems and other health problems. She plans to move to a farm in Kentucky. "This is going to affect us all if we can't grow food. " Bond said, "We live off the land, but I can't live here anymore. It's all gone."
14 Grover Cleveland Shultz poses for a portrait in Senecaville, Ohio in 2016. Schultz says he works as a truck driver, carrying brine water for the gas industry. He says he was badly injured after an accident in early 2015. Shultz claims a fitting came loose and he was covered with waste water, which resulted in burns, rashes and the skin peeling off of his legs. "The industry blames problems on truck drivers," Shultz said, "but there's no training and the companies are getting rich."
15 View of a gas flare at Gulfport Energy Corporation's Karen well pad in Quaker City, Ohio in 2014.
16 View of the Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery in Marcus Hook, PA in 2011. The Refinery, which has since been idled, has been talked about as a potential site for a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal to process and export gas from the Marcellus Shale.
17 View of the FirstEnergy R.E. Burger power plant in Shadyside, Ohio in 2016. The plant's coal-fired boilers were taken off line in 2011 and the facility was completely closed in 2015. The site is being considered for a new ethane cracker plant. The processing plant would take ethane from the Utica and Marcellus Shale formations and convert it into ethylene, which is used in the petrochemical industry.
18 Jeff T. Bond poses for a portrait in Senecaville, Ohio in 2016. Bond, who has lived in Seneca Township for 35 years with his wife Kerri, claims that energy companies and state officials are harassing them and covering up the theft of gas and mineral leases on their property. The dispute, which began in 2011, is still not resolved. He also claims that air and water pollution are affecting his health. Bond says he has experienced respiratory and other problems. "Our land is not safe anymore." Bond said, "Things aren't the same and we can't get anyone to acknowledge the problems."
19 Connie Waldeck poses for a portrait at her home in Mogadore, Ohio in 2016. Waldeck lives across the road from a large pipeline terminal along the Mariner West Pipeline, which transports ethane from the Marcellus and Utica shales to Canada for processing. She says the terminal, which has recently expanded, creates noise and heavy truck traffic. Waldeck is concerned about possible air and water pollution and no longer drinks her tap water. "It's been a trying few years, mentally and physically," Waldeck said.
20 Cal Lommler poses for a portrait at his home in Hiram, Ohio in 2016. Lommler says an old gas well near his home has been used as an injection well for the past several years, leading to heavy truck traffic in the area and constant noise from the facility. He says he had to install a water filter in his home after his water quality declined suddenly, and he is still concerned about water pollution from the well, which is less than a mile from the Cuyahoga river. Lommler said that he has been unable to find out exactly what they're dumping in the well. "It is a big safety issue", Lommler said. "When something bad happens it's going to be too late."
13 Kerri Bond poses for a portrait in Senecaville, Ohio in 2016. Her home in Seneca Township is 1200 feet from a well pad and a half mile from a natural gas compressor station. Bond claims the area has undergone drastic environmental changes since the industry came to the area in 2011. She says that many trees in the surrounding forest have died, and the vegetables she grows in her garden are often badly deformed. Bond says she now experiences nosebleeds, skin sores and rashes, respiratory problems and other health problems. She plans to move to a farm in Kentucky. "This is going to affect us all if we can't grow food. " Bond said, "We live off the land, but I can't live here anymore. It's all gone."
14 Grover Cleveland Shultz poses for a portrait in Senecaville, Ohio in 2016. Schultz says he works as a truck driver, carrying brine water for the gas industry. He says he was badly injured after an accident in early 2015. Shultz claims a fitting came loose and he was covered with waste water, which resulted in burns, rashes and the skin peeling off of his legs. "The industry blames problems on truck drivers," Shultz said, "but there's no training and the companies are getting rich."
15 View of a gas flare at Gulfport Energy Corporation's Karen well pad in Quaker City, Ohio in 2014.
16 View of the Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery in Marcus Hook, PA in 2011. The Refinery, which has since been idled, has been talked about as a potential site for a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal to process and export gas from the Marcellus Shale.
17 View of the FirstEnergy R.E. Burger power plant in Shadyside, Ohio in 2016. The plant's coal-fired boilers were taken off line in 2011 and the facility was completely closed in 2015. The site is being considered for a new ethane cracker plant. The processing plant would take ethane from the Utica and Marcellus Shale formations and convert it into ethylene, which is used in the petrochemical industry.
18 Jeff T. Bond poses for a portrait in Senecaville, Ohio in 2016. Bond, who has lived in Seneca Township for 35 years with his wife Kerri, claims that energy companies and state officials are harassing them and covering up the theft of gas and mineral leases on their property. The dispute, which began in 2011, is still not resolved. He also claims that air and water pollution are affecting his health. Bond says he has experienced respiratory and other problems. "Our land is not safe anymore." Bond said, "Things aren't the same and we can't get anyone to acknowledge the problems."
19 Connie Waldeck poses for a portrait at her home in Mogadore, Ohio in 2016. Waldeck lives across the road from a large pipeline terminal along the Mariner West Pipeline, which transports ethane from the Marcellus and Utica shales to Canada for processing. She says the terminal, which has recently expanded, creates noise and heavy truck traffic. Waldeck is concerned about possible air and water pollution and no longer drinks her tap water. "It's been a trying few years, mentally and physically," Waldeck said.
20 Cal Lommler poses for a portrait at his home in Hiram, Ohio in 2016. Lommler says an old gas well near his home has been used as an injection well for the past several years, leading to heavy truck traffic in the area and constant noise from the facility. He says he had to install a water filter in his home after his water quality declined suddenly, and he is still concerned about water pollution from the well, which is less than a mile from the Cuyahoga river. Lommler said that he has been unable to find out exactly what they're dumping in the well. "It is a big safety issue", Lommler said. "When something bad happens it's going to be too late."