IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
CCJ Attended the Latest Global Plastic Treaty Talks in Geneva, Switzerland
CCJ joined thousands of advocates, legal experts, member state delegations and ministers from around the world in Geneva, Switzerland for INC5.2, the sixth round of U.N. negotiations for an international, legally-binding instrument on ending plastic pollution. We attended as part of Break Free From Plastic’s U.S. Environmental Justice Delegation (EJD), a collection of frontline, fenceline, and Indigenous organizations speaking up for the needs of communities impacted by the full lifecycle of plastic, from extraction to production to disposal. Once again, we left negotiations without an agreed-upon treaty text. Several ambitious countries released strong text proposals on chemicals and production cuts that garnered widespread support. Instead of working to consolidate around these majority-supported positions, the INC Chair released a proposed text that essentially negated all progress and catered to the lowest common denominator: petrostates like Iran and Saudi Arabia who have spent the entire process watering down language and allies like the U.S. who stand to gain from continued reliance on plastics.
We were encouraged to see states stand up and reject this unacceptable proposal and continue the work of winning a strong treaty at future sessions. Along the way, we had a number of delegates and partner organizations reach out to the EJ Delegation for our leadership and guidance on questions or issues with the text. Our frontline leaders also received coverage in several publications, including The Guardian, Grist, The Verge, and more. The longer these negotiations go on, the stronger our alliances become and the louder our voices become and the more countries become willing to go to bat for a real, ambitious treaty. As EJD member Jo Banner, Co-Founder of The Descendants Project said, “we are still here, more passionate than ever to do our part…Our movement will only grow stronger.”
Five Southwestern PA Gas Well Operators Cited for Waste Violations
Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) cited five gas well operators for conventional well plugging waste violations. The citations reveal a disturbing pattern: some companies failed to report what happened to their waste, while others openly reported illegal dumping. CNX Resources, which has famously teamed up with Governor Shapiro for a “Radical Transparency” initiative based around open sharing of oil and gas pollution data, failed to document waste disposal for 59 wells in Washington and Greene Counties. Meanwhile, EQT, Consol, and Iron Cumberland all admitted to dumping waste into Coal Refuse Disposal Areas (CRDAs), which is both illegal and dangerous. Read more about these incidents and CCJ staff reflections on the state’s response in our press release.
Have You Seen Our New Billboards? Sign the Petition and Help us Win Expanded Buffer Zones from Fracking!
If you’ve been driving around Washington, Laboratory, or Bentleyville this month, you might have seen our brand new billboards along the highway! Your child’s health begins in your backyard, and fracking infrastructure as close as 500 feet away puts them at risk. We are calling on local governments to follow Cecil Township’s successful blueprint for implementing increased buffer zones between fracking and homes and you can make a difference by signing onto our petition today. We are gathering signatures and connecting with passionate local residents to build momentum for even more wins at the local level to bypass gridlock and billionaire influence in Harrisburg. Join our movement today!
HARM REDUCTION PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Washington County Opioid Overdose Coalition
Quarterly public meetings from the Overdose Coalition are back in Washington! Join experts, advocates, and folks of lived experience to discuss youth vaping & marijuana use as well as strategies to encourage healthy behaviors. The meeting will take place September 11th from 6-7:30 PM at the Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church (112 W Pike St in Canonsburg). Each public meeting will feature a different program addressing various issues from the world of substance use and will host many resources, as well as free Narcan. Parents, guardians, and caregivers are encouraged to attend!
Live in Washington County? The Opioid Overdose Coalition wants to hear from you! Share your opinions about public health and substance use in Washington County in a brief, anonymous survey. Your responses to this will help guide local programming. Take the survey here to help support a healthier and safer Washington County.
BLOGS THIS MONTH
Explaining PJM Part 3: Data Center Disaster
Posted August 21, 2025
Our grid, PJM, just finished up its next capacity auction for 2026/27, and to no surprise, the bill is high once again, amounting to an approximately 25% increase in the consumer’s electricity bill over the last two auctions. We will break down the context of these evolving issues and why there will be little price relief for consumers in the next 5 years. Read More.
Greene County: Easiest Place to Buy a Home?
Posted August 28, 2025
It was a big surprise for me to come across a video from NBC News saying that one of the “Easiest Places to Buy a Home” in the U.S. was my very own Greene County. While it may be easier to buy a home in the county, it might not necessarily be easier to live there. Qualities that once attracted people to the area – quiet roads to raise a family on, less traffic, good air quality, free water on site, a sense of community very close to home – have been significantly diminished. Read More.
Fracking Wastewater Injection Wells: A False Solution to an Ever Growing Problem
Posted September 1, 2025
The fracking industry has an ever-growing wastewater problem that has presented operators and communities with substantial logistical, ecological, and human health problems with no safe viable solutions. The current industry and regulatory standard for its disposing is the use of risky injection wells. Read more.
Where Are We Now? An Opioid Settlement Fund Update
Posted September 2, 2025
To held companies and individuals responsible for the destruction caused by the opioid use epidemic, many attorneys general—including Josh Shapiro—came together to seek a form of compensation. The lawsuit resulted in settlements won against drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies. This blog breaks down the process, current awardees, and areas of concern that remain for distributing these funds to benefit the most impacted communities. Read more.
TAKE ACTION
College Students: Apply for the STOP Site Fight Fellowship 2025-2026
Post-Landfill Action Network is looking for this year’s Students Taking on Oil & Petrochemicals (STOP) Site Fight Fellows! The fellowship is open to students interested in learning about and taking action against the petrochemical industry who are located near petrochemical sites with an additional focus on states within the Ohio River Valley (PA, OH, WV) and the Appalachian region.
This fellowship aims to offer a space for mentorship, project guidance, leadership skills development, and processing the imperative to halt harm at petrochemical sites. You will be paired with both a mentor and a site fight local to you, developing a project concept alongside your mentor & the community you will be learning from and organizing with. You can expect a mix of educational (yet collaborative) teach-ins, guest speakers from movement leaders across the country, to be challenged by your peers, and a set of quests (i.e., deliverables) as you move along in the fellowship. The program concludes with your capstone presentation.
The fellowship pays $20/hour plus a stipend for 6 hours/week for 24 weeks from October 2025 to April 2026. Applications are due September 15 or until all 10 spots are filled. Applicants will receive an email from STOP by September 30 with decisions. Apply to the fellowship here and learn more.
Support CCJ During the WCCF Gives Online Day of Giving on September 18th!
On Thursday, September 18 from 8 AM-8 PM, Washington County Community Foundation (WCCF) Gives is hosting an Online Day of Giving. This event will support local nonprofit organizations to help maximize their impact and simplify giving for you. WCCF Gives helps local charities secure unrestricted financial support for their missions and has awarded nearly $14 million to Washington County charities in the last 12 twelve years.
This year, organizations have the opportunity to win additional monetary prizes when they get 10 or more unique donors. We hope you’ll consider giving to CCJ on September 18 to help us sustain our work! Learn more about WCCF Give’s Online Day of Giving and how to give to CCJ and other organizations in Washington County here.
NEW: Tell Your PA Elected Officials: Fund the Home Preservation Program!
Earlier this year, PA Senators Nikil Saval and David Argall and House Representatives Lindsay Powell, Brandon Markosek and Tim Twardzik introduced bipartisan legislation to revive a popular home repair assistance program under a new name: the PA Home Preservation Program. The former pilot program created a one-stop shop connecting homeowners and contractors and funding costly repairs and weatherization upgrades for over 2,600 homes. It was so popular that more 18,000 homeowners were waitlisted when lawmakers failed to include it in the last budget.
The new legislation would use state funds to build on this success and popularity to help tens of thousands Pennsylvanians repair their homes each year to combat the housing crisis, fight the broader costs associated with disrepair, and reduce community displacement. The bill recently passed the PA House with bipartisan support and is being considered in the Senate before a final vote. However, as negotiations around the PA budget have come to a standstill, elected officials need to hear how important this program is for Pennsylvanians to make sure it doesn’t end up on the chopping block once again. Tell your PA State Senator to support the PA Home Preservation Program in the budget and make affordable home repairs a reality for us all!
Tell PA Legislators: Raise Revenue and Create a Pathway to Prosperity — No Budget Cuts!
Pennsylvania must take action now to win a fair state budget! According to a report released by Governor Shapiro’s office, the federal reconciliation bill (Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill) will have disastrous impacts on our communities. 310,000 Pennsylvanians are expected to lose health insurance, 144,000 Pennsylvanians will be cut from receiving SNAP benefits to feed their families and 25 rural Pennsylvania hospitals are at risk of closure. Elected officials must show us that they will stand up for us and make sure that people’s basic needs are met.
Many vital services rely on federal funding support such as healthcare, transportation, and public education. We need to tell our legislators that they must raise PA’s state revenue, not cut our budget for vital services our communities rely on! Instead of making large cuts to essential services like healthcare, education, and transportation, Pennsylvania legislators should be advancing efforts to raise the state’s revenue. CCJ and our allies with the All Eyes on Yass campaign have created the “Pathway to Prosperity” platform, outlining realistic and impactful solutions Pennsylvania could adopt to raise $14 billion in state funding. There are available, immediate steps PA could take to ensure everything we need is fully funded – but legislators need to act.
PUBLIC NOTICES
Read all of the latest relevant public notices from the past month for Washington and Greene Counties as of August 25th here.
UPCOMING CCJ EVENTS
Claysville Area Know Your Rights: Coal, Gas & Data Centers
September 24 | Claysville Community Center | 6-8:00 PM
Are you being undermined by Tunnel Ridge or concerned about future mining near your property? Are you living next to fracking and in need of resources to protect your family? Do you have questions about proposed data centers and their impact on your community? Please join us for a Know Your Rights event about current and proposed projects in the Claysville/West Alexander area. At the workshop, we will talk about what your rights are, what we know about active and upcoming projects, how these industries have worked with landowners in the past, and what steps you can take to better protect your property, water sources, and family.
Join us Wednesday, September 24, 2025 at 6:00 P.M. at the Claysville Community Center. CCJ will provide cookies from Farmhouse Bakery and light refreshments. Please let a neighbor know about the event!
CCJ’s 11th Annual Fall Fundraiser
October 4th | Washington, PA | 5-9:00 PM
Join CCJ staff, board members, supporters and allies from around the area for our 11th annual Fall Fundraiser at the Stone Pavillion in Washington Park on Saturday, October 4th from 5-9 PM! This year, CCJ staff, members, and supporters throughout our local communities are invited to come together to help carve out hope in these challenging times.
Admission includes one full meal, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages, and one drink ticket for attendees over 21 years old. The fundraiser will include a silent auction and raffle full of local goods – bid on your favorites and take home a little piece of our community! Back by popular demand, we are excited to announce Aristotle Jones: The Appalachian Soul Man’s return playing soulful tunes live!
Secure your spot now in celebration and support of a great cause: protecting the places we call home. The first 25 people to register by September 15th will receive 10 FREE raffle tickets! Tickets are available here or pay at the door using cash, check, or card. We hope to see you there!
SAVE THE DATE: Greene County Ghouls – Virtual Livestream
October 24th | Time TBA
This October, CCJ is excited to host our first ever Greene County Ghouls livestream! Get cozy with us from the comfort of your own home as we tell ghost and cryptid stories, learn about local hauntings, and launch new spooky merch designed by our very own Events Coordinator, Sarah Sweeney! Be on the lookout for more details about the time of the event, registration details, and other exciting details on social media and in our upcoming September newsletter.
ALLY & COMMUNITY EVENTS:
9/3 – 10/15 — Beyond Plastic Pollution Course – Bennington CAPA Online
7 – 9 PM on Wednesday evenings on Zoom
This course taught by Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, will delve into almost every aspect of plastic pollution and what we can all do to reduce it – both in our own lives – and more broadly. The class is open to all high school and college students who may want to take it for academic credit. It is also open to people of all ages who love to learn and don’t need or want school credit.
More information and registration here.
9/6 — Arts in the Park
11 AM – 3 PM at Washington Park and Pool
Join Washington Park and Pool for an immersive day experiencing the arts, including over 20 stations of hands-on activities, stage performances, a parade, tie dye station for the first 300 kids, free lunch for the first 200 kids.
See more information about this free event here.
9/13 — Peace from DV Walk
10 AM – 12 PM at Church of the Covenant (267 E Beau St)
Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania is hosting their 10th Annual Peace From DV Walk to stand together, raise awareness, and take steps toward a future free from domestic violence. Show support for survivors and raise critical funds for those in need in Washington, Greene, and Fayette Counties by donating, fundraising, or sponsoring the event now!
Learn more and start raising money here
9/20 — West Virginia Pawpaw Festival
12 PM – 5 PM at WVU Core Arboretum. Free parking is available in the WVU Coliseum parking lot.
The 8th annual WVU Pawpaw Festival, which celebrates a native fall fruit of the forest, is family-friendly, free, and open to the public, no registration needed. We will have Peterson Pawpaws select varieties of pawpaw fruit available to sample and purchase, samples of pawpaw dishes prepared by a chef, a talk by a pawpaw expert, the North American Pawpaw Growers Association booth, pawpaw trees and other native plants for sale, live music, food trucks, and more.
See more information here.
9/27 — Washington County Walk
Check in starts at 10 AM and the event starts at 11 AM
The Washington County 4th Annual Out of Darkness Walk presented by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention will be held at Washington Park and Pools at the Rotary Club Pavillion.
Register for free or donate to the event here.
9/27-10/26 (Saturday & Sundays) — Fall Fun on the Farm Festival
Saturdays (11 AM-5PM) and Sundays (2 PM-7 PM) from 9/27-10/26
The SpringHouse is hosting Fall Fun on the Farm Festival. Stop by for some farm fresh food as well as activities for the entire family.
See more information here.
WEEKLY AND MONTHLY EVENTS:
Tuesdays & Saturdays — Greene County Flea Market
7 AM – 2 PM at Greene County Fairgrounds
Wednesdays — Waynesburg Farmers Market
10 AM – 1 PM at High St and Morris St
Thursdays — Main Street Farmers Mark
3 – 6 PM at Main Street Pavilion (Washington, PA)
Thursdays (except 4th Thursday) — Washington County GSA Game Night
5:30 – 8:30 PM at the CENTER on Strawberry
Second Friday of Every Month — Washington County GSA Free Friday Dinner
5:30 – 8:30 PM at the CENTER on Strawberry
Please RSVP at programs@wcgsa.org
Fridays — Monongahela Farmers Market
3 – 6 PM at Chess Park
Saturdays — McDonald Farmers Market
9 AM – 12 PM at McDonald Trail Station and History Center
Second Saturday Monthly —Free Food Pantry
9 AM – 12 PM at Lemoyne Center
You can find more community events in Washington County here and Greene County here.