ManiFEST, the first international anti-fracking festival in Romania, needs your support
Dear antifracking community worldwide,
The antifracking activists in Romania have the pleasure to invite you to the first international arts & music anti-fracking festival, ManiFEST, taking place in Puiești, Vaslui County, on 6-8 September 2014.
We have a saying in Romania: “In the autumn, one counts one’s goslings”. Since last autumn, we started a new tradition here, in Romania: we started counting the goslings that care about the future of their country.
From FanFest, the first environmental activist festival in Romania, dedicated to the fight against cyanide mining, we are moving to the other side of the Carpathian mountain range and setting up a new natural dam against projects that are deeply threatening to the environment and public health. A dam which consists of: common sense, a thorough and unabiding connection to NATURE, and the respect for the right of communities to decide on their own future. A dam made of informed and determined people. Determined to stop the destructive steamroller of fracking which is threatening to destroy the future of humanity and our almost unspoiled part of the world, Romania. (more…)
Organising meeting of the Romanian antifracking activists in Rosia Montana
This year at FanFest we plan to discuss various subjects, but all in strong connection to Rosia Montana and environmental protection. Fracking endangers the environment, the local communities and it destroys the possibility of a true sustainable development, in full respect for the local decision and consent.
The activists that bare the toughest battles in this field are calling on all of us to get involved:
”Friday, on the 15th of August, we will take a retrospective look to what has been done in this area, good or bad. Until now we fought our battles individually, but now its high time we coordinate our actions. Lets all meet at FanFest to identify and plan joint actions at national level. We expect all of you, as many as possible, with feasible ideas and, most of all, the belief that we can fight and win the war on fracking!” – Maria Olteanu, antifracking activist. (more…)
Chevron pulls out from Pungesti earlier than expected
Kids in Pungesti,. 16th October 2013, blocking the access of the heavy machinery who arrived at the site.
Chevron announced today that it has finished drilling its first exploration rig in Pungesti and that it will withdrew from the village of Pungesti, which seen one of the most dire human rights situations in reaction to fracking in the whole world. The move comes one day after the peaceful protest of the 25 people from Greenpeace, coming form 7 countries, was staged, yet no connection between the two events was made so far.
Chevron was supposed to be drilling until it reached the depth of 4.000 meters, yet it withdrew after having drilled only about 3.000 meters depth. No further explanations were made by the company as to why it did not go all the way down, as proposed. The drilling was supposed to be taking 3 months, yet Chevron made the announcement 2 months and one week after its aofficial announcement of the beginning of the drilling. The activists in the area, who tried to keep an eye on the works, maintian that the drilling started earlier than the beginning of May, as the last part of the rig arrived in Pungesti on 18th of March, and the scene was all set for it to begin. An explanation of this earlier withdrawal than expected could be due to this situation which was held from people’s eyes, whatever the reasons are. (more…)
Greenpeace activists from 7 countries stage protest at the Chevron shale gas exploratory well in Pungesti
A group of 25 Greenpeace activists from seven countries on Monday staged a protest in Pungesti, at the site of the exploratory shale gas well owned by U.S. company Chevron, pressing for a ban on hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction, reads a release of the environmental organization on Monday.
The activists from Romania, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Germany staged a peaceful protest and declared a quarantine zone around the Chevron well, forming a human chain at the entrance of the Chevron frackingm site, and then chaining themselves to the fence surrounding the well and held up banners with the messages: “Pungesti — Anti-Chevron Quarantine Area”, “NO to Hydraulic Fracturing”, “Stop the Abuses in Pungesti!” (more…)
The Romanian antifracking campaigners hail the UNITE Labour Union antifracking motion
The Romanian antifracking campaigners are hailing the news that the biggest Labour Union in UK, UNITE, with more than 1,5 million members across the UK, has restated its support for the antifracking fight in the UK. Last Thursday, after debates and increased activity on the subject of fracking, UNITE has adopted a motion put forth by Gerard Sheridan, representing the NW region of Merseyside (area around Liverpool), seconded by Tony Staunton. The new motion is reaffirming the commitment of the UNION Labour Union in the antifracking fight put forth already in 2012, at the Unite Policy Conference.
The document is briefly summing up the dangers of fracking, underlining its possible substantioal impacts on the climate change and the aggressive pursuit of this practice in the UK, despite the growing concerns regarding fracking worldwide. (more…)
Sandra Steingraber’s Statement in Response to Events in Pungeşti
* * *
Originally posted on 17.06.2014, on Health and Environment Alliance’s page:
Sandra Steingraber spoke about the health impacts of fracking at a public gathering in Pungesti, Romania on 11 June 2014, just prior to the walk along the village road that prompted police brutality.
On Wednesday 11 June, I traveled to the remote community of Pungeşti in eastern Romania’s Vaslui County. Rising from a field bordering the village of Siliştea, near the only public road in and out of the area, is a drill rig installed by Chevron for purposes of shale gas “exploration.” Villagers told me that drilling had commenced in May. This rig—the first shale gas well in all of Romania—went on line in spite of an intense, months-long oppositional campaign by locals that was joined and supported by activists from all over Romania. (more…)
Sandra Steingraber, New Yorkers against Fracking, about her visit to Pungesti
(Please scroll down to the interview nr. 4 in the playlist of the youtube chanell of Epoch Times Romania, located in the upper left corner of the screen)
Sandra Steingraber visited Romania last week and was impressed by the resistance there. Furthermore, she saw water bubbling in the water wells along the road leading to the rig and cracks in the houses and a terrible unceassing noise.
Her conclusion is that in Pungesti and in Romania, the democratic process has been fractured in the name of energy security, but an energy security that is definitely not going to serve to the very ecologically leaving community in Pungesti, nor to Romania, who is already producing 130% of its gas needs.
She is also telling the story of the episode she has experienced there when she wanted to go to the rig, together with the villagers in Pungesti, yet they were prevented by the riot police defending the site, who has blocked the road with fences. When the people tried to pull away the fences and proceed to the rig, the riot police used tear gas.
Furthermore, the activists in the area organised a meeting inviting officials in the county, mayors, the president of the County Council (a very vocal Chevron lobby-ist) to listen to Sandra Steingraber’s on the fracking imacts. Even though they first accepted the invitation, none of them showed up at the meeting.
Another sign of how any serious talk about fracking is being blocked was the fact that the 15 minutes interview with Sandra Steingraber, due on Friday, 13th of June, upon her arrival from Pungesti, with a central television, was in the end turned into a 2 minutes minor news. This was short notice change and it came from a television who previously presented a lot of information against fracking, made huge audience on the subject and then, out of a sudden, pulled back from the subject in a very strange way.
Earlier las week, Sandra Steingraber met with a few members of the Romanian Parliament (from a small party and a independent member of the Parliament, Remus Cernea) and with the activists in Bucharest.
Sandra Steingraber week in Romania has been very honouring and inspiring for our fight and surely very informing for her. Earlier las week, Sandra Steingraber met with a few members of the Romanian Parliament (from a small party and a independent member of the Parliament, Remus Cernea) and with the activists in Bucharest.
The fight must carry on!
No fracking here, no fracking anywhere!
No gazaran!
Sandra Steingraber, NYAF, witnessed the police turning violent and using tear gas in Pungesti
Sandra Steingraber, the co-founder of New Yorkers against Fracking visited Pungesti yesterday and she had the “chance” to see how the Romanian riot police is working…for the benefit of the local community. After having visited the Romanian Parliament, where she presented some key facts regarding the tremendous impacts of fracking in the USA, followed by a meeting with the fracktivists in Bucharest, she went straight to Pungesti, where she wanted to meet the villagers, for whose sufferings she wanted to appologise, as an American, just like the Company that is causing so many problems in Pungesti, Chevron. Here is an excerpt of an article in the local newspaper, Vremea Noua, from last night, after the situation turned very heated after the police blocked the road (a public road), and the people wanted to remove the fence from the road. Even though it was a regrettable situation (Sandra was not involved in the fight, she was some 20 meters behind where it all happened), Sandra Steingrabber and her colleagues could get an idea of the tense situation and the deprivations the community in Pungesti has gone through during the past months.
“The situation in Pungesti where the first drilling rig was installed for exploration and exploitation of shale gas was tense again. Tonight in the village was present Dr. Sandra Steingraber from U.S.A. She has presented a brief history of villagers’ unhappy experiences with shale gas extraction based on the method of hydraulic fracturing. After consulting with the villagers, the American biologist concluded that what happened in the U.S. happens in Romania: Chevron receiving servility from politicians and carrying out economic purposes despite the fact that this activity is bad for locals. After this meeting, Dr. Sandra Steingraber wanted to go to the area where the drilling rig is installed. At that time, the police blocked the road with fences. Approximately 50 villagers who were in the area tried to cross the fences but the “brave” riot policemen used tear gas in response, against villagers, mostly women and elderly!”
More pictures to be seen in the article
In the film you can see the riot police using tear gas.
21th of May, International Anti Chevron Day. Bucharest
21th of May, International Anti Chevron Day. Bucharest actions.
On the 21st of May, Romania joined the woldwide protests the disasters Chevron has caused all over the world where they have oil and gas operations, but also against its undemocratic, repressive means undermining the basics of democracy. The action was coordinated by the committee in Ecuador who has helped the 30.000 Ecuadorian peasants in their apparently never-ending fight against Chevron.
In Romania, we had protests organised in 4 locations, 2 of them in perimeters concerned by Chevron fracking operations, such as Pungesti and Mangalia, and Bucharest, the capital city, and another socially very active city in Transilvania, Sibiu.
The event in Bucharest focused on two types of actions:
one documented in the pictures, having a strong awareness raising dimension, by means of impactful images of the diasasters Chevron left all over the world. We had 30 series of 11 stickers with images placed in 30 bus stations in Bucharest.
Here some pictures of the action: https://www.facebook.com/maria.olteanu/media_set?set=a.10152078164492687.1073741863.560952686&type=1
The second action was a flash mob that was played in 2 locations in Bucharest, focusing on the “cosy” relationship politicians have with Chevron and “strategic investors”, in general.
Here is the link with the English subtitles. 
The tormenting message of the children in Pungesti to the world
On the occasion of the International Children Day, we talked to the children in Pungesti and we ask them what they wanted. They have struck us with their mature wishes. They just want to stay in Pungesti, lead the simple life they have led for years, be left alone, they want clean water and clean air. And they have made a very good point: we are not poor, we consider ourselves rich because we can produce our own food. In fact, they made another point: You have everything, if you are healthy.
And of course, free.
They are about to lose it all, all their future, all their hopes, this due to fracking and Chevron and to a state that has long forgotten why it is there for.
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