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.
Southwestern Pennsylvania Community Gets a Win!
Citing the outpouring of concern from hundreds of local residents who raised their voices, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has informed the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill that they must provide more information about how they are planning to operate. Landfills in Pennsylvania are not allowed to accept liquid waste, but leachate is a byproduct found in…
Welcome CCJ New Team Members, to Launch First-Ever Civic Engagement Program
The Center for Coalfield Justice is launching our first-ever voter education and civic engagement program, which will begin to lay the infrastructure to increase engagement in voting and in protecting our democracy. This program is rooted in education and leadership development. We are excited to welcome new team members who will help to implement this…
The “Close to Home” Beauty of SW PA
There is a word for this in Japanese, shinrin-yoku (森林浴), which translates to ‘forest bathing’. I’ll think of this when I am out in the woods sometimes, when being immersed in the forest does literally feel cleansing. So there you go! In case you needed another excuse to get out of the house. Veronica Coptis…
July 2020 Coalfield Review
READ OUR MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER, WHICH WILL UPDATE YOU ON OUR WORK, CURRENT ACTION ITEMS, AND UPCOMING EVENTS. IF THERE IS ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, PLEASE LET US KNOW. Featured Jul 30, 2020 With this Mask I Thee Wed Jul 30, 2020 Jul 30, 2020 Jul 27, 2020 Rethinking Boundaries and Borders…
With this Mask I Thee Wed
This blog was written by CCJ member and supporter Jeremi Sensky (aka “Heaven’s dad”). It is the 17th installment in our What’s on your mind? blog. Enjoy! Set aside all of the lies being spread about the dangers of wearing a mask, and search yourself for the common sense in it all. I feel the…
Rethinking Boundaries and Borders
While watching the third installment of Movement Generation’s “Course Correction” series, I learned about the idea of thinking of places in terms of “bioregions” instead of the political boundaries we use today to govern, like counties or states. A bioregion is defined by Movement Generation as “a land and water territory whose limits are defined…
A Powerful Story about a Group of Indigenous Ecuadorians and Their Fight for Environmental Justice
In the summer of 2003, I went to Ecuador to do six weeks of preliminary research with the Sarayaku Kichwa (also spelled Quichua), one of 13 indigenous groups living there. I had contacts within the community, and they knew I was coming to Puyo, a town on the edge of the Oriente, the Amazonian region…
Pennsylvania Politicians are Making Moves Behind Closed Doors
The word “politician” can leave a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. What we are experiencing in Pennsylvania these last couple of weeks only perpetuates this reaction. If any of you follow environmental blogs or receive updates from those who cover the environmental political field in this state, then you have read or heard about…
June 2020 Coalfield Review
READ OUR MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER, WHICH WILL UPDATE YOU ON OUR WORK, CURRENT ACTION ITEMS, AND UPCOMING EVENTS. IF THERE IS ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
COVID, Courts, and the Commonwealth: What are the reappreciations if the emergency order is removed?
With very little surprise, our elected officials are at it again. This time the legislative argument has gone to the courts for clarification. The General Assembly, which is currently Republican-controlled has passed a resolution that would eliminate the emergency disaster declaration (in response to COVID-19) that led to the closure of “non-life-sustaining” businesses, bans on…