CCJ’s office will be closed from July 1-7th for our Summer Break as we rest and recover for the second half of 2024. If you need to contact us during that time, you can message info@centerforcoalfieldjustice.org or call 724-229-3550. Our response time may be slower than normal but we’ll do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. Have a happy and safe holiday!
~ Team CCJ 😎 ~
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
DRYerson 2024: Recap
It was a hot, humid afternoon in Ryerson Station State Park on the 22nd, but that didn’t keep over 70 attendees from showing up for our 18th annual DRYerson Festival! We enjoyed local food, tie-dying, music by local guitarist Dan Baker, and updates about the park from both DCNR park rangers and CCJ staff. It was another opportunity to commemorate the loss of Duke Lake and remember the importance of Greene County’s only state park with residents from around the area. Check out more highlights from the day in this video from the event by CCJ supporter Michael Brownlee!
Thank you to all of the volunteers, park employees and CCJ members and supporters who make this memorable event possible each year. Please consider donating or becoming a member today to help us continue hosting community events and supporting our local parks today!
CCJ in Harrisburg and DC
June was a busy month for CCJ staff supporting a number of our campaigns by visiting lawmakers and joining ally organizations to promote important legislation at the state and federal level.
- June 9-10: First, we were in Harrisburg with the PAYBAC coalition shedding light on billionaire Jeffrey Yass’ campaign donations and influence on efforts to shift funds away from public schools. We joined groups like PA Stands Up, One Pennsylvania, 1Hood, Make the Road, and more to rally inside the capitol, meet with representatives from across the state, and call for full funding of our public schools and combatting the influence of money in politics.
- June 11-13: The following week, we were in DC for a pair of Hill Weeks. Some of our staff joined Break Free From Plastic to advocate for a number of bills aimed at limiting plastic pollution and for the implementation of a strong, legally-binding Global Plastics Treaty.
- June 12-14: At the same time, a portion of our team joined the Alliance for Appalachia to call for stronger regulations around ‘zombie coal mines,’ economic justice for former coal communities, and other issues impacting our region.
BLOGS & NEWS THIS MONTH
As Washington County distributes grant money to combat substance use disorder, additional funds are making progress at the state level
By Paul Fedore | June 27, 2024
The Washington County Department of Human Services is currently reviewing grant applications for its share of opioid settlement funds aimed at combatting substance use disorder in the county. This month, a bill passed in the PA House that would add to those funds and provide more lifetime grant opportunities and educational resources. Read more.
Advocate Effectively to Make Change
By Nina Victoria | June 17, 2024
In a democracy, citizens’ most important duties are to express what they want and need and to elect into government those who demonstrate the willingness to stand up for those wants and needs. To truly create change, your expression of these ideas needs to be directed towards the right person and with the right message. We can make the change we want to see when we advocate effectively. In this blog, we’ll explain just how to do that. Read more.
TAKE ACTION
Tell your State Senators to Vote NO on SB 831, Senator Yaw’s CO2 Injection and Storage Bill!
The proposed hydrogen hubs and other carbon capture projects in Pennsylvania will require thousands of miles of new CO2 pipelines, injection wells, underground storage fields and more. It’s absolutely vital that gaps in the state’s regulations around these and other issues are addressed BEFORE yet another industrial ‘boom’ cycle begins without proper oversight or protections.
Senator Gene Yaw’s bill – SB 831 – recently passed out of committee and will be up for a floor vote soon! It would not only make it more difficult for landowners impacted by carbon capture activities to receive compensation, but also allow those that don’t want activity on or under their land to be overruled by their neighbors. It is obvious that SB 831 is only intended to benefit industry and does little to protect landowners from overreach by industry. Write your state lawmakers and ask them to vote no on this bill now!
Tell your PA House Rep to VOTE NO on Dangerous Energy Bill SB 832!
The PA Senate recently passed SB 832, Senator Yaw’s bill to create an Independent Energy Office that would analyze laws, regulations, and policies and make energy-related recommendations. The IEO is supposed to do so impartially, without preference for certain energy sources over others, though depending on who runs it, the office could perpetuate the fossil fuel industry instead of supporting a just transition to renewable sources. Even worse, new amendments created a Pennsylvania Opportunities with Energy Reliability Authority that could waive certain regulations and permitting requirements for major extraction projects. We can’t let a third-party board overrule our constitutional right to clean water, pure water, and preservation of our environment! Write your House Representative with one click at the link below and tell them to vote NO on SB 832.
Get a FREE MAD-FACTS Yard Sign and Spread the Word About Fracking Health Harms in Your Community!
Fracking Puts Our Health at Risk! Protect Our Kids – Expand Fracking Setbacks! Our new MAD-FACTS (Moms and Dads – Family Awareness of Cancer Threat Spike) yard signs are free and in-stock for anyone who wants one. Displaying a sign can help spread information to residents about protecting their friends and families as well as direct folks to our brand new MAD-FACTS website. We’re so excited with how much support this public health awareness campaign has attracted in just over a year and hope you’ll help it continue to grow.
PUBLIC NOTICES
Read all of the latest relevant public notices from the past month for Washington and Greene Counties as of June 17th here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
MAD-FACTS 4th of July Parade Watch Party
This Independence Day, we’re reminding everyone that protecting our communities is patriotic! Come join MAD-FACTS and CCJ members along the parade route to celebrate our constitutional right to freedom, clean air and clean water together starting at 9:00 AM. Enjoy refreshments and good company as we celebrate and continue to promote a healthy environment for all residents of beautiful Washington County!
MAD-FACTS July Meeting
Join your neighbors who have been impacted by pollution from oil and gas operations and other residents concerned with fracking health harms at the next monthly meeting for MAD-FACTS: Moms and Dads – Family Awareness of Cancer Threat Spike. There is no guest speaker for this month’s meeting; instead, we’ll be listening to folks, answering questions, sharing resources, and discussing what kinds of actions we all can take to spread awareness about issues impacting public health. Whether you’ve attended a meeting previously or are new to MAD-FACTS, this will be a great chance for all of us to learn more about the issues that are most important to us all.
ALLY & COMMUNITY EVENTS
7/2 — No Dirty Deals Webinar Series Part 1: LNG
- 2 PM on Zoom
- The expansion of liquefied natural gas export terminals in the US could emit over 90 million tons of greenhouse gasses annually, equivalent to the carbon pollution of 20 coal-fired power plants! Join People’s Justice Council for part one of their webinar series to educate about and fight false climate solutions.
- Register Here
7/9 — The Story Behind the Story: EQT’s Gas Play
- 12 PM on Zoom
- Join PublicSource reporter Quinn Glabicki and Editor-in-Chief Halle Stockton as they discuss the news outlet’s ongoing investigative series on fracking giant EQT’s impact on air, water and community health. Their reporting has included an in-depth update on New Freeport and CCJ’s efforts to get clean water for residents, as well as the global climate conversation. Have a question that you’d like to hear discussed during this session? Send it via email to info@publicsource.org.
- Register Here
7/16 – 20 — Jacktown Fair
- Jacktown Fairgrounds
- You can’t die happy until you’ve been to the Jacktown Fair! Visit CCJ at the oldest annual fair in the country. We’ll be in the parade on Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM and on-site greeting attendees throughout the week. Stop by to say hello and enjoy rides, games, food, music, and fireworks.
- See schedule, attractions, and more info
7/29 — Rain Day
- 11 AM – 9:00 PM at Waynesburg Fountain & Monument Parks
- Waynesburg residents have been tracking weather on July 29th for 150 years, and 118 times, it’s rained! Visit the annual Rain Day Festival to celebrate this phenomenon with free music, fireworks, and community. CCJ will be there all day long to talk to residents, so be sure to stop by our table, grab some merch, and say hi!
- More Info Here
WEEKLY AND MONTHLY EVENTS:
Tuesdays — Canonsburg Farmers Market
3 – 7 PM at St. Patrick Church
Tuesdays & Saturdays — Greene County Flea Market
7 AM – 2 PM at Greene County Fairgrounds
Wednesdays — Waynesburg Farmers Market
10 AM – 2 PM at 145 W High Street, Waynesburg, PA
Thursdays — Main Street Farmers Market (Washington)
3 – 6 PM at Main Street Pavilion, Washington PA
Fridays — Monongahela Farmers Market
3 – 6 PM at Chess Park
Second Saturday Monthly — Free Food Pantry
9 AM – 12 PM at Lemoyne Center
Second Saturday Monthly — Market in the Park (Washington)
9 AM – 1 PM at Washington Park Main Pavilion
You can find more community events in Washington County here and Greene County here.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
We could not do this work without the continued support of our members and supporters. Please help us to continue our work to fight for environmental justice in Southwestern Pennsylvania by becoming a member of CCJ. Recurring monthly donations help to best support our work. Any gift made to the Center for Coalfield Justice is 100% tax-deductible.
