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.
HB 847 Hopes to Address Two Election Concerns, Making the Process Easier for Voters and the Counties
A bill with potential to address election concerns has made it through the State Government Committee and has been laid on the table of the House of Representatives. HB 847, introduced by Centre County Representative Scott Conklin, would amend the state election code to allow counties seven days prior to Election Day to pre-canvass mail-in…
The Second Project in the Third Phase of the Washington County Broadband Initiative has been Awarded
We are currently in phase three of the initiative to bring broadband services to underserved communities all over Washington County, and the second project, which will extend broadband services to approximately 680 rural homes and businesses in Hanover Township and Burgettstown has been awarded to Comcast. In total this project will cost $8.1 million and…
Press Release: Parents Still Left in the Dark about Childhood Cancer Studies, Demand Update from Pitt and the DOH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2023 Contact:Lisa DePaoli, Communications Manager, Center for Coalfield Justice, 724-229-3550, lisa@centerforcoalfieldjustice.orgNed Ketyer, M.D., F.A.A.P., President, Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, 724-255-7440, ned@psrpa.orgScott Smith, Communications Manager, Environmental Health Project, 412-600-0738, ssmith@environmentalhealthproject.org PARENTS STILL LEFT IN THE DARK ABOUT CHILDHOOD CANCER STUDIES, DEMAND UPDATE FROM PITT AND DEPT OF HEALTH Questions persist after months of delays and silence…
CCJ at MIT – Legacies of Coal: In Search of a Just Transition
Back in April, our Community Organizer for Greene County, Tonya Yoders, sat on a panel at MIT during their event titled Legacies of Coal: In Search of a Just Transition. Reflecting on her experience, Tonya stated that speaking on the panel at MIT was, “something I never would have thought I would get to do.”…
CCJ Awarded the 2023 Agency Award
On May 10th, 2023, CCJ was awarded the 2023 Agency Award from our friends at the Washington County Teen Outreach during their annual “One Kid at a Time” Awards. The award, given to an agency that provides support for youth in our community, honors CCJ’s efforts over the past year. The award was accepted by…
Xylazine is becoming more common in PA. Here’s what you need to know.
In advance of the following update about overdose impacts in our community, we want to remind folks that they can reach out to the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission to access narcan/naloxone and to learn about treatment options at 724- 223-1181. You can request a free Narcan Kit here. CCJ is also a community distributor…
April 2023 Newsletter
April 2023 Coalfield Review Read our monthly e-newsletter, which will update you on our work, current action items, and upcoming events. Our Work in the Past Month Read more of our blogs here! Public Notices Read all of the latest relevant public notices from the past month for Washington and Greene Counties as of April…
RGGI Funds Should Be Used to Help Transition Homer City Power Plant Workers
In July 2022, Pennsylvania officially became a participant in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a cap-and-trade market for carbon dioxide emissions. It requires the operators of fossil fuel power plants (including coal) to purchase one credit for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit into the atmosphere. Every year, the amount of…
The New Freeport Fracking Incident Timeline and Updates
It has been almost a year since an EQT shale gas well interacted, or “communicated”, with a shallow abandoned well in New Freeport, PA. This resulted in fracking fluid spilling out and potentially getting into the water supply of residents in the area. This occurred on June 19, 2022, and it did not take long…
Opioid Settlement Update: Funds Coming into the State
Last year, Governor Shapiro and his team were hard at work claiming opioid settlement money for the state and the rest of the country in his role as Attorney General. Today, settlement funds total out nationally to about $54.07 billion. Out of that, Pennsylvania will receive $2.2 billion over a period ranging from 10-18 years….