“The industry kept saying: ‘We have the power; you have none. We are coming. Get out of the way or leave,'” said Joanne Cipolla-Dennis, recalling what happened when the oil and gas industry came to her town of Dryden, NY.

But Joanne and her neighbors came up with a plan. This is the true story of people who discovered their shared strength and turned the tables on a powerful industry.

This story offers hope and important lessons for communities trying to protect themselves.

What Happened Next:

Earthjustice and the Town of Dryden succeeded in third rounds of litigation, with the case going up to New York’s highest court.

On June 30, 2014, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that the towns of Dryden and Middlefield can use local zoning laws to ban heavy industry, including oil and gas operations, within municipal borders. The decision gave legal backing to the more than 170 New York municipalities that passed measures to protect residents from the impacts of the controversial oil and gas development technique.

The following year, the state of New York finalized a state-wide ban on fracking.

Communities across the country stood up to the fracking industry, passing bans and limits on fracking and defending their right to do so in court. And when the oil and gas industry tried to bully communities into backing down, communities fought back.