Pittsburgh gas giant EQT Corporation is America’s largest producer of fracked natural gas. Amid a global rush to decarbonize, the company’s CEO, Toby Rice, touts EQT’s gas exports as “the largest green initiative on the planet.” But among the rural communities in northern Appalachia where the company operates, the harsh realities of gas extraction hit home.
In Knob Fork, West Virginia, four neighboring families abandoned their homes after experiencing years of symptoms consistent with exposure to airborne volatile organic compounds, the same chemicals released by EQT’s natural gas extraction in the rural hollow next door.
Nearby, residents of New Freeport, Pennsylvania, endured more than two years of undrinkable groundwater after a June 2022 “frack-out” sent fluid erupting along Main Street. Residents reported rashes after showering, and foul, methane-spiked water in local wells. A federal class action lawsuit is pending.
“These issues exist everywhere at some scale. It’s almost expected: illness in proximity to industry.” Photographer Quinn Glabicki asks, “How do we document this banality of horror?”
This story was originally published in partnership with PublicSource in March 2024.
Artist Bios
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Quinn Glabicki
Quinn Glabicki is a photojournalist and writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in the Rust Belt, Glabicki’s long-term work focuses on communities impacted by climate change and the footprint of industry in Appalachia. Glabicki’s work has been published by The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, among others. Glabicki currently covers climate change and the environment for PublicSource.
Organizations
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Pulitzer Center
Pulitzer Center’s mission is to champion the power of stories to make complex issues relevant and inspire action. Founded in 2006, the Center is an essential source of support for enterprise reporting in the United States and globally. We believe that people and communities who actively engage with systemic challenges will find solutions together. By combining breakthrough journalism with strong audience engagement in communities and classrooms, we extend the impact of journalism, cultivate public awareness, and build community empowerment. The journalism we support covers the world’s biggest challenges today, from the environment and global health to human rights and artificial intelligence.
Hollowed Out
Featuring: Quinn Glabicki
Curated by: Lucy Crelli Mikaela Schmitt
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
