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Water Warriors Screening

November 30, 2017 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Water and chemicals bubble up from a punctured aquifer off of Highway 126 near Rogersville. An elderly man was walking through the forest on his land when he noticed a swamp had sprung up from nowhere. He saw that the water was coming from a hole in the ground beneath a tree tacked with a metal plate saying it was one of SWN’s exploration lines. The hole, called a shot-hole, was drilled by SWN contractor Geokinetics as part of seismic exploration work. The company creates holes then fills them with explosives. Seismic data is then gathered from the explosion. It is believed that the aquifer is exposed to contamination as a result, although SWN denies that the testing is unsafe. The few regional highways are major arteries for local traffic and the most direct routes through the thick forest. They provide an efficient thoroughfare for SWN to collect seismic data on the amount of natural gas hiding in the underground shale formations. On October 17, 2013, anti-fracking protests turned violent when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) raided the encampment that had been peacefully blockading SWN’s equipment, preventing them from doing seismic testing- a prelude to fracking. The RCMP arrested 40 people while torched police cars sent clouds of black smoke into the air. Police pepper sprayed elders from Elsipogtog, fired sock rounds to control the crowd, and an RCMP officer was infamously recorded shouting “Crown land belongs to the government, not to fucking natives.” The community responded by steadfastly maintaining encampments in key locations to disrupt any attempted work by SWN. On December 6, 2013 SWN pulled out and ended their operations in New Brunswick. Community members believe they will return, and that the fight is far from over.

Hosted by 350 Triangle, Clean Water for NC, United Earth Ministries at United Church of Chapel Hill, and Working Films. Nothing in this world can live without water. Join us for a free screening and discussion of Water Warriors to learn how one group stopped the gas industry in its tracks as well as what you can do on a local scale!

For background about the film, see http://www.storyline.media/waterwarriors.

Details

Date:
November 30, 2017
Time:
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Event Categories:
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Venue

United Church of Chapel Hill
1321 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Chapel Hill, NC 27514 United States
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Phone
9199423540