Archive: legislation/policy
The oil and gas industry has embedded itself into Pennsylvania’s economy by drilling upwards of 395,000 wells in the state. However, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) estimates that at least 200,000 of these wells are either abandoned or orphaned. An abandoned well is one that has not been used to produce, extract, or inject […]
Photo by Katherine McAdoo on Unsplash Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) is taking steps toward meaningfully engaging residents of communities that are disproportionately affected by industrial development through a new Environmental Justice Policy. While CCJ sees this policy as a step in the right direction, some of our local legislators feel that these steps […]
Under current PA law, oil and gas waste is not classified as hazardous, although it contains radioactive and other dangerous materials. This waste is allowed to be disposed of in our local landfills. Eventually, some of this waste makes its way into our streams and rivers, posing a health risk to all Pennsylvanians. CCJ has […]
Who determines whether we have clean air or not? As members of the public, do we hold a responsibility to ourselves and each other to ask for clean air? On the other hand, if we don’t ask for clean air, should we be surprised to find that our air is considered dangerous to our health? […]
Because of a shortsighted exemption made 30 years ago, Pennsylvanians are exposed daily to potentially toxic and radioactive waste produced by the oil and gas industry. For the last three decades, these companies have taken advantage of a loophole in state laws governing the disposal of toxic drilling waste.
The year 2020 was hectic for everyone, especially for the U.S. postal service and election officials across the nation, who faced new struggles due to the presidential election and the pandemic. Many Pennsylvanians who haven’t had the desire or ability to vote before did so, and a significant number voted by mail, which was a […]