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.
Mail-in voting remains in place for the November election
In the fall of 2021, several of the lawmakers who voted to pass Act 77, the law which allows mail-in voting, argued that this legislation should have instead been done by an amendment to our state’s constitution. In January of this year, a Commonwealth Court judge agreed that the bill was unconstitutional. The Wolf administration…
How will the Inflation Reduction Act affect us?
As you have probably heard by now, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has been signed into law by President Biden. It is the biggest climate investment in United States history and is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 40% within the next eight years. While there are some beneficial provisions, the $370 billion investment…
Breaking Down the Environmental Justice for All Act
On July 27, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee approved H.R.2021, the Environmental Justice (EJ) for All Act. The bill is currently sitting before the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. This landmark piece of legislation would enshrine important protections for minority and low-income communities disproportionately affected by pollution and environmental degradation. It has…
Governor Wolf Vetoed Senate Bill 275
On July 7, 2022, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a bill that has been touted as a way to give consumers more access to affordable electricity, but in reality represented an effort to restrict local governments’ ability to set policies that address the climate crisis. Senate Bill (“SB”) 275, introduced by Gene Yaw, would make…
Justice40 Offers Great Opportunities – If We Ask For Them
The last few years have seen an exciting influx of federal investments in important community infrastructure projects. Water, broadband, energy efficiency, and transportation are all priorities in recent federal funding packages. The question for rural communities like ours, which have lost out on government funding in the past, is this: How do we make sure…
State Senator aims to increase permissions for poll watchers, penalties for refusal to comply
Last year in April, Senate Bill (“SB”) 573, also known as the Poll Watcher Empowerment Act, was introduced by Senator Doug Mastriano. The State Senate passed this bill after sitting on it for over a year. The House, however, didn’t waste any time on this bill. On June 29th, they voted to send this legislation…
The Reality of Harm Reduction
This is the 23rd installment in our What’s on your mind? blog series and was written by CCJ Organizing Fellow Saint McClendon. Have something on your mind? Write about it! Please read this blog for more information. Humans have ingested substances since the beginning of time, but currently we can observe from our backyards the traumatic effects caused…
Bills Would Ensure Landfills are Placed in Rural Communities, Compounding Effects
On February 11, 2022, PA State Representative Timothy Bonner introduced House Bills (“HBs”) 2338 and 2339 to protect communities from the dangers of landfills. However, the bills’ language will make it so that rural communities bear the brunt of urban and suburban waste. The bills are straightforward. HB 2338 prohibits the new construction of a…
Your Representatives Are Wrong. Your Voice Does Matter.
This blog is an update to one posted June 13: Local Elected Officials Object to Hearing Your Voice. Recently the PA Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) held a public comment period on their new draft Environmental Justice Policy (“Policy”). This Policy was created to provide those who reside in an environmental justice community the opportunity…
Breakdown of the WV v. EPA Holding
By a vote of 6-3, the Supreme Court agreed with Republican-led states and coal companies that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to use generation-shifting as a “system of emission reduction” under the Clean Air Act. Background In the WV. v. EPA case, one primary regulation was at issue (which is currently…