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.
Reflections on the Small Town Summit: A Gathering of Rural Organizers From Across the Country
Jodi Borello’s reflections: I had the opportunity to attend the Small Town Summit in beautiful Missoula, Montana. The town itself is beautiful and the sky is spectacular, just as I was told. I was able to enjoy a few moments of hiking and even visited a ghost town. I learned more than I ever…
Recap: Washington County Comprehensive Plan Public Meeting – AND: You Can Still Provide Your Input Until August 9th!
Washington County is updating their comprehensive plan, which was last adopted in 2005. The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) Act of 1968, P.L. 805, No. 247, defines a County Comprehensive Plan as “a land use and growth management plan prepared by the county planning commission and adopted by the county commissioners which establishes broad goals…
June 2023 Newsletter
Read our monthly e-newsletter, which will update you on our work, current action items, and upcoming events. DRYerson Festival 2023 CCJ held our 17th Annual DRYerson Festival last Saturday, June 24th, at Ryerson Station State Park. Around 100 attendees gathered in community, commemorated the loss of Duke Lake, and joined us in supporting the continued process of…
Thanks to Everyone Who Made Our First MAD FACTS Meeting a Success!
Thank you to all of our community members who attended our first MAD FACTS – Moms and Dads: Family Awareness Cancer Threat Spike meeting at North Strabane Park on June 15th. The meeting was a great success and it wouldn’t have been possible without the concerned residents and impacted families who attended. It was an…
New Proposals Approved for Washington County Broadband initiative
Washington County officials are continuing their plan to increase broadband access in our communities. On Thursday, May 18th, the County Commissioners awarded funding to two more broadband projects. One of the projects will bring broadband to 695 residential and commercial targets in South Strabane and Amwell Townships. Verizon Pennsylvania LLC and Verizon North LLC will…
What is Environmental Justice, Anyway?
The term environmental justice gets thrown around a lot. President Biden talks about it, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has environmental justice policies, CCJ works on environmental justice issues, but what is it and how does it actually help people and communities? What is Environmental Justice? The environmental justice movement has its roots in…
Support EJ Communities: Tell Your Legislators to VOTE YES on HB 652!
Environmental Justice will be a major topic at the state level this summer. To kick things off, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is advancing a bill to help protect specific communities in the state from disproportionate adverse impacts of industrial activity. HB 652, introduced by Representative Bullock of Philadelphia, defines EJ areas as “geographic area[s]…
Community Demands Accountability from EQT on Anniversary of Greene County Fracking Incident
Residents and supporters rally, call for action to support the community concerned about contaminated water wells Canonsburg, PA – Time and time again, EQT shows that they don’t care about the communities they operate in. Since the corporation’s pollution incident last year, an entire community’s water supply has been at risk of being unusable due…
Black History in the Coalfields
“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history” – Carter G. Woodson The African American experience has largely been excluded in the telling of stories of Appalachia and the coal miners that fueled our country, but it is an important…
North Carolina Supreme Court Opens up a Path for a Potential Threat to Democracy
On June 30th of last year, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that could affect congressional redistricting nationwide. This case seeks to answer an important question: Should any state court be allowed to draw federal congressional districts? The case Moore v. Harper will address North Carolina’s congressional map. The state Supreme…