Our blogs are written by the staff of the Center for Coalfield Justice, with an occasional guest post. The most recent post appears on top, and others show up below in order of publishing date. You can receive the blogs in your inbox by signing up for our mailing list. Once per month we publish a newsletter, which contains most of the blog posts.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2026 PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION:
Voting is how we hold elected officials accountable when they leave communities behind or bow to corporate interests. Most Americans want to protect the right for every eligible voter’s voice to be heard. That’s why it’s so important for everyone in our state to be aware of their rights as a voter, how to register/re-register…
Raise a Ruckus For CCJ’s 12th Annual Fall Fundraiser
Join us Saturday, October 3rd from 5:00-9:00pm at the Stone Pavilion in Washington Park for CCJ’s 12th annual fall fundraiser — this year’s theme is “Raise a Ruckus,” because that’s what it takes to protect the places we love. We’re serving up a classic spaghetti dinner, yummy desserts, and drinks fit for the season. Comfort…
Outside AI’s Horizon: On AI, Extraction, and the Century-Old Pattern Appalachia Knows Better Than Anyone.
Guest Blog written by Sevanna Adams, founder of Goodtable Consulting The Protest Today I attended the AI Horizons Pittsburgh Summit in Bakery Square, hosted by the @AI Strike Team, sponsored by the likes of Microsoft, Anthropic, Google, and Waymo, but unlike most posts you’ll see of the event, I want to show you what was…
The Middle-Class New Deal: Examining the Loss of America’s Economic Core
Continuing with CCJ’s reading series, we have reviewed A. Mechele Dickerson’s The Middle-Class New Deal. Her academic approach and policy manifesto for restoring upward mobility and the American dream. The Middle-Class New Deal is an insightful and forward-looking exploration of how the United States can renew its commitment to opportunity, stability, and economic mobility. In…
Pa’s Act 54 Mining Law is Failing Coal Communities. The State’s Response? Shut Out Independent Experts and Analysis
In early 2025, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) released its 6th assessment of ACT 54. ACT 54 is a state mining law that allows a coal company to legally extract coal while also requiring the company to repair surface damage to homes, water sources, and more. Under ACT 54, the PADEP was tasked…
Radioactive Oil & Gas Waste Part II: DEP’s Landfill Leachate Radioactivity Report, How State Regulators Help Industry Cover-Up the Dangers of Its Waste
This is Part II of a blog series looking at the radioactivity of oil and gas waste. If you have not read part one yet, we recommend doing so to understand the full concept of the story. Read Part I: The Cecil Pipeyard, Washington County’s Open Hazardous Secret here. On March 13th, 2026, the Department…
Radioactive Oil and Gas Waste Part I: The Cecil Pipeyard, Washington County’s Open Hazardous Secret
The oil and gas industry in our region is plagued by a very dangerous, open secret: the waste it produces is highly radioactive. Despite what industry representatives, members of Congress, and regulators say, every facet of the waste stream of fracking in PA is riddled with radioactive byproducts that are mishandled and sometimes simply left…
Productivity is Rising. Why Aren’t Workers Sharing in the Gains?
Two weeks ago, new economic numbers were released that normally would signal good news for the economy: productivity is rising. Productivity measures how much the economy produces per hour of work. When productivity increases, it usually means workers and businesses can produce more value in the same amount of time. This is usually thanks to…
Addie Pazzynski Reflects on Their Recent Fellowship at CCJ
I stepped into the Communications Fellow role last July after several years of supporting CCJ as a member and resident of Greene County. Working as a Fellow for CCJ gave me the opportunity to bring my background in writing, research, digital communications, and faith-based perspectives on environmental justice to CCJ’s work in my community. Here…
The Connections Between Crypto Mining, Fracking, and Data Centers in Pennsylvania
A cryptocurrency is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network. Individual coin ownership records are stored in digital ledgers, which are computerized databases using strong cryptography (encryption) to secure transaction records, control the creation of additional coins, and verify the transfer of coin ownership. Cryptocurrency has the…