Center for Coalfield Justice protects coal miners, environment
Courtesy of Center for Coalfield Justice
In 1994, the Tri-State Citizens Mining Network was formed due to the impact of longwall mining on the community and the environment.
By 2007, they had their first paid staff, changed their name to the Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) and expanded their work to examine fracking practices.
According to Lisa DePaoli, CCJ’s communications director, there have been many misconceptions about the nonprofit and their mission.
“A lot of people believe we are an environmental group, and while there’s all kinds of pollution that comes from fracking, it’s not just the environment. There’s an impact on the people in our community too,” DePaoli said. “Our mission is to improve policy and regulation for the oversight of fossil fuel and use, and protect public and environmental health.”
One way they do so is through community outreach.
“We offer know-your-rights training sessions so you can learn more about what to do when a landman knocks on your door,” DePaoli said, referring to people who want to buy property mineral rights or lease it for fracking. “There’s a lot of fine print in that contract and it can get very complicated.”
DePaoli is quick to point out that CCJ is not out to ban fracking or other mining practices. She said the group simply wants workers to be paid a living wage and for the community to remain as safe as possible.
“Most of us are from this area. We understand what coal mining means to people. It’s often a part of someone’s identity. It’s one of the few, decent paying jobs around here and we just want these organizations to be held accountable and do what they are supposed to do,” DePaoli said.
Ultimately, it depends on which side of the coin a person has experienced. Whether you’re the family who doesn’t have clean water due to mining in the area or you’re the family who depends on mining to survive, CCJ wants to support both, DePaoli said.
“The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is not catching everything. We often say, it would be better if there wasn’t a need for what we’re doing but someone has to do it and protecting the people and the environment is the only reason we exist,” DePaoli said.
To learn more about CCJ, visit https://centerforcoalfieldjustice.org/.
It costs $10 to join the member-based organization. They are always looking for volunteers and the community can support them by watching their Facebook page, signing petitions and sharing posts.
“We’re nonpartisan. We have people from all backgrounds working with us. We want to help people feed their families and it comes down to, many not really understanding what we do until they are negatively impacted,” DePaoli said.