Center for Coalfield Justice

Recent Press Releases

March 31, 2010	Center Files Right-to-Know for Ryerson Station State Park Report Data
		The Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) and Park Burroughs, Editor of the Observer-Reporter, joined by PA State Representative Bill DeWeese, called for increased transparency and the release of documents used in drafting the February 16 Interim Report on Ryerson Station State Park and the damage done to Duke Lake Dam. (Read more)
Feb 17, 2010	Center Celebrates Landmark Decision
		The Center for Coalfield Justice applauds yesterday’s breaking news from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which finally acknowledges that longwall mining in Consol’s Bailey Mine was undeniably responsible for the damage to Duke Lake Dam. (read more)
Sept 22, 2009	Visits to “Man-made Earthquake” Sites in Southwest Pennsylvania
		On Tuesday a bus of activists traveled from Pittsburgh to Greene and Washington counties to see the damaging effects of coal extraction first hand. The tours were hosted by Citizen’s Coal Council, Center for Coalfield Justice, and the Sierra Club. (Read more).
June 2, 2009	Area citizens call on Congressman Tim Murphy to protect their homes, farms, and water
		Concerned citizens, staff and members of the Center for Coalfield Justice, Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy and the Ten Mile Protection Network met today with Congressman Tim Murphy to discuss local, regional and national coal-mining-related issues, including his stance on the Waxman-Markey bill. Area coalfield residents shared their stories about longwall mining ’s severe impact upon local resources, including streams, springs, homes, agriculture and small business. (Read more)
Dec 21, 2008	CCJ Calls on Acting Secretary Hanger to Immediately Halt Mining at Enlow Fork
		The Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) has issued a public call to the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary John Hanger to suspend mining operations at Consol’s Enlow Fork mine after mining beneath Crafts Creek resulted in dewatering of the stream. (Read more)
Sept 10, 2008	Environmental groups challenge Consol’s attempt to degrade Greene County stream: Expert report shows Grinnage Run should retain HQ protections
		Mountain Watershed Association (MWA), Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), today submitted a report to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), challenging an attempt by Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company (Consol) to have Grinnage Run in Greene County redesignated from High Quality – Warm Water Fishes to Warm Water Fishes, a status that permits more pollution to the stream. (Read more)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 31, 2010

Center Files Right-to-Know for Ryerson Station State Park Report Data

The Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) and Park Burroughs, Editor of the Observer-Reporter, joined by PA State Representative Bill DeWeese, called for increased transparency and the release of documents used in drafting the February 16 Interim Report on Ryerson Station State Park and the damage done to Duke Lake Dam.

“While we were pleased to see the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) report, which finally acknowledges that longwall mining in Consol’s Bailey Mine was undeniably responsible for the damage to Duke Lake Dam, we now call on the DEP and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to release additional materials to the public,” said Raina Rippel, Executive Director.

CCJ, along with the Observer-Reporter and Rep. DeWeese, is calling upon the DEP and DCNR to promptly release any and all materials associated with this ruling. “Based on careful community observation and our work throughout the years, this decision confirms the need for an overhaul of all previous and future permitted longwall mining activities throughout SWPA,” said Rippel. “Moreover, Act 54, which essentially allows longwall mining to take place under homes and public resources, is due for a significant overhaul. Considering all the other damage we have witnessed throughout SWPA, longwall mining must be seriously questioned as an appropriate mining practice.”

Ryerson Station State Park was once home to Duke Lake, the only recreational lake in Greene County, and a beloved community asset for this area. DCNR was forced to spend over a million taxpayer dollars on their lawsuit against Consol alleging that mining damaged Duke Lake Dam.

“Ryerson is a public property - and the public has a right to know what these state agencies have done, in terms of studying and rectifying this important issue,” said Representative DeWeese.

“We can only hope now that the ongoing investigations will ensure the full restoration of the recreational and economic benefits formerly provided to the community by Duke Lake and that Consol will promptly and thoroughly remedy the harm done to this beautiful park,” said Attilia Shumaker, from the Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy. “The time is long past for Consol to take responsibility for this and other damage done to Greene County and our treasured natural resources.”

For more information on this and other impacts from longwall mining in Greene and Washington Counties, visit CCJ’s website at www.coalfieldjustice.org.

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Press release on Ryerson Right-To-Know Request from Representative Bill DeWeese

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2010

Center Celebrates Landmark Decision

The Center for Coalfield Justice applauds yesterday’s breaking news from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which finally acknowledges that longwall mining in Consol’s Bailey Mine was undeniably responsible for the damage to Duke Lake Dam.

“We are pleased and vindicated to see that all our previous claims of Consol’s responsibility for this disaster have finally been proven,” said Raina Rippel, Executive Director. “At last, the DCNR and DEP have concluded what community members have known all along: the tragic loss of Duke Lake was directly caused by Consol’s longwall mining activities.”

Currently, mining permits are issued under the presumption that water supplies and other land subsidence will not be damaged outside of a 35-degree angle of influence associated with underground mining. The results of this case clearly prove this permitting assumption is incorrect. Act 54, the state legislation which allows longwall mining to occur, rests upon this faulty assumption.

CCJ is now calling upon the DEP to promptly release any and all materials associated with this ruling, as this decision shows the immediate need for an overhaul of all previous and future permitted longwall mining activities throughout SWPA. “Since the DEP now publicly recognizes a flaw in their permitting process, CCJ calls upon them to halt any and all permits until this situation is addressed,” said Rippel. “Moreover, Act 54 is due for a significant overhaul. Considering all the other damage we have witnessed throughout SWPA, longwall mining must be seriously questioned as an appropriate mining practice.”

Ryerson Station State Park was once home to Duke Lake, the only recreational lake in Greene County, and a beloved community asset for this area. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) was forced to spend over a million taxpayer dollars on DCNR’s lawsuit against Consol alleging that mining damaged Duke Lake Dam.

“As a life-long resident of Greene County, our family grew up fishing and boating on Duke Lake. We were shocked and horrified when the dam had to be breached in 2005, and have mourned the loss of this wonderful park asset ever since,” said Kim Jones.

Fears mounted in 2009 when a list of parks slated to be closed was released, based on the ailing state budget, and local advocates learned that Ryerson Station State Park was on top of this list. Since then, the park has suffered significantly reduced hours and resources, and from 2005 to the present has experienced a dramatic drop in attendance due to the draining of Duke Lake.

“We can only hope now that the ongoing investigations will ensure that this lake is brought back to the community, and that Consol will promptly and thoroughly remedy the harm done to this beautiful park,” said Terri Davin, CCJ’s community organizer. “The time is long past for Consol to take responsibility for this and other damage done to Greene County and our treasured natural resources.”

For more information on this and other impacts from longwall mining happening in Greene and Washington Counties, visit CCJ’s website at www.coalfieldjustice.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 22, 2009

Visits to “Man-made Earthquake” Sites in Southwest Pennsylvania:
Pittsburgh Residents Tour Longwall Mining Impacted Communities

Washington, PA – On Tuesday a bus of activists traveled from Pittsburgh to Greene and Washington counties to see the damaging effects of coal extraction first hand. The tours were hosted by Citizen’s Coal Council, Center for Coalfield Justice, and the Sierra Club.

Longwall mining tours were offered as one in a series of actions occurring throughout the week of the International Pittsburgh Coal Conference and G20 Summit in order to bring attention to neglected issues and communities throughout the region. Stops on the tour included Ryerson Station State Park for a visit to the now-drained Duke Lake, the Crabapple Belt Line, and the Bailey Mine complex.

Bill Price of the Sierra Club, explained, “Longwall mining is essentially a manmade earthquake that destroys our water resources and quality of life forever. These companies are stealing from our families and our communities for the sake of profit.” Greene County remains the poorest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, while Consol Energy—one of the major coal companies in the area—reported over a quarter-billion dollars in net income in profit in 2007.

Ryerson Station State Park was home to the 62-acre Duke Lake, once the premier recreational site for families and fisherman from the tri-state area. Drained in 2005 due to damage to the dam, the lakebed, to this day, remains empty.

“Coal companies continue to damage our ecosystems and watersheds while the well-being of our communities and our entire planet depends on them doing just the opposite. We need coal companies to protect our natural resources AND our economy, using mining methods that are less destructive and create more jobs,” said Raina Rippel, Center for Coalfield Justice. According to the Energy Information Agency, since 1985 nearly two out of every three coal mining jobs in Pennsylvania have been lost with only an 8% reduction in the total amount of coal mined. “Instead of creating jobs for miners, we increasingly see coal companies seeking machine operators as they engage in more intensive and destructive methods like longwall and mountain top removal mining,” said Aimee Erickson, Citizen’s Coal Council.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 2, 2009

Area citizens call on Congressman Tim Murphy
to protect their homes, farms, and water
Coalfield citizens plead for more protection and adequate enforcement of existing laws

WASHINGTON, PA- Concerned citizens, staff and members of the Center for Coalfield Justice, Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy and the Ten Mile Protection Network met today with Congressman Tim Murphy to discuss local, regional and national coal-mining-related issues, including his stance on the Waxman-Markey bill. Area coalfield residents shared their stories about longwall mining ’s severe impact upon local resources, including streams, springs, homes, agriculture and small business.

Coal companies that practice longwall mining in Pennsylvania are devastating local communities. Because of current law they are permitted to cause damage to structures, including family homes. They are also allowed to disrupt water supplies. Coal companies are required to fund repairs to homes and to replace water supplies, but frequently residents find themselves embroiled in lengthy legal battles with these companies to have their original living conditions restored. Attempted reparation of streams and other water resources is often too little, too late.

“What is the federal Clean Water Act doing to truly protect our local water resources in Washington and Greene Counties?” asked area farmer Bill Lindley of Congressman Murphy. “You said when we offered you coffee that ‘All I want is water’—well, that’s all we want. Water.” Others at the table, including Kim Jones and Attilia Shumaker, both of Greene County, strongly objected to industry and regulatory agency support of the environmental and social destruction associated with coal extraction, which left landowners bereft of resources and deprived of their way of life.

“Longwall mining literally undermines people’s homes, quality of life, social and economic security, whether the effect is physical, financial, or emotional. Southwestern Pennsylvania is essentially being treated as an energy sacrifice zone. We provide “cheap” coal to a nation hungry for energy, while bearing a disproportionate amount of the environmental, health and economic costs to our citizens and communities,” said Raina Rippel, Director of the Center for Coalfield Justice.

“I am particularly concerned for elderly residents who cannot escape these impacts,” said Laurine Williams, who has been fighting to preserve her family home and water from longwall mining for many years. “Low-income residents in environmental justice areas cannot easily fight to protect their rights against industry and sympathetic politicians at the local and state level.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 21, 2008

Center for Coalfield Justice Calls on Acting Secretary Hanger to
Immediately Halt Mining at Enlow Fork

Request Follows Dewatering of Crafts Creek Due to Subsidence Damage

Washington, PA―The Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) has issued a public call to the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Acting Secretary John Hanger to suspend mining operations at Consol’s Enlow Fork mine after mining beneath Crafts Creek resulted in dewatering
of the stream.

Crafts Creek is a Washington County stream adjacent to two High Quality streams, Buffalo Creek and Sawhill Run. Both of these streams are slated to be undermined by the same series of longwall panels. Dewatering occurred in early November 2008. Extensive and expensive attempts to restore flow have been unsuccessful to date.

Crafts Creek is only the latest in a series of streams that have been destroyed by subsidence from longwall mining. Longwall mining as currently practiced in Pennsylvania has had disastrous consequences for the Commonwealth’s water resources and to the many undermined
communities. The PA DEP must halt operations at Enlow Fork immediately until it can be proven that no additional damage will occur. One reasonable solution would be to utilize room and pillar mining under streams including the balance of Crafts Creek to prevent further damage.

The Center for Coalfield Justice disagrees with recent claims by Consol that it has been successful in mitigating other streams that have been damaged by undermining. A 1994 study of streams in West Virginia has shown there is no evidence that the chemical, biological or physical
characteristics of undermined streams recovers over time.

“The practice of grouting streambeds as a mitigation technique absolutely ignores the fact that streams do not merely serve as a conduit for water,” stated Raina Rippel, Executive Director of the
Center for Coalfield Justice. “These streams that have been dewatered were previously functioning ecosystems with physical, chemical and biological characteristics that cannot be replicated by simply installing pipes.”

“Ten years ago a study of streams damaged of longwall mining in northern West Virginia concluded that damaged streams never recover,” said Dick Ehmann, member of the CCJ Board of Directors. “Additional studies identified unremediated stream damage. After the dewatering of Crafts Creek, it is imperative that the DEP step in and halt the mining to ensure there is no additional damage.”

The Center for Coalfield Justice’s position is that it is imperative for longwall mining at the Enlow Fork mine to be suspended until it can be proven that no adverse environmental impacts will occur.

The entire letter to Acting Secretary Hanger is available upon request.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 10, 2008

Environmental groups challenge Consol’s attempt
to degrade Greene County stream
Expert’s report shows Grinnage Run should retain High Quality protections

Pittsburgh, PA – Mountain Watershed Association (MWA), Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ) and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), today submitted a report to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), challenging an attempt by Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company (Consol) to have Grinnage Run in Greene County redesignated from High Quality – Warm Water Fishes to Warm Water Fishes, a status that permits more pollution to the stream.

Krissy Kasserman, Mountain Watershed Association’s Youghiogheny Riverkeeper, said, “The report shows that Grinnage Run once met its high quality designation and that, with appropriate measures in place, it will once again. The report cautions that Grinnage Run will never again meet its high quality designation if Consol’s petition is granted and the company is permitted to conduct the underground mining activities that it seeks through its petition to allow.”

Terri Davin, community organizer for the Center for Coalfield Justice, said, “For too long, the coal industry has damaged our streams, leaving pollution behind that is destroying our watersheds. Grinnage Run has largely and miraculously eluded this damage, and we intend to keep it that way. If Consol succeeds in its plan to downgrade the stream, residents and businesses in Greene County will suffer. Continued destruction of our water has made our area one of the poorest in the state, and additional water loss will only make the problem worse. We simply cannot attract businesses and families to this region if our water supplies are at risk.”

Brian Glass, staff attorney for PennFuture and counsel to the environmental groups, said, “Under the law, a stream may not be downgraded if at one time it attained its designated level of protection, as Grinnage Run did. A stream also may not be downgraded if it could once again attain its designated level of protection, as Grinnage Run can. The standards for downgrading a stream in Pennsylvania are extremely demanding, erring in favor of protecting our streams and placing a heavy burden on those wishing to degrade them. As the report shows, Consol has failed to meet its burden with respect to Grinnage Run, and its petition should be denied.”

On August 16, 2006 Consol submitted a petition for rulemaking to the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB), an independent board that reviews and approves all of DEP's regulations, asking to downgrade Grinnage Run basin, from its source to the confluence with Grays Fork. DEP has been charged with studying the issue and reporting back to the EQB with its recommendation.

The report filed today by the environmental groups, performed by Schmid & Co., Inc., Consulting Ecologists, demonstrates that it would be contrary to both Pennsylvania and federal law to redesignate Grinnage Run, and is meant to inform DEP’s study and the EQB’s decision making. A copy of the study is available online at PennFuture's website.

PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization, founded in 1998. Working from the premise that “Every environmental victory grows the economy,” PennFuture has successfully advocated for landmark environmental legislation, including passage of the largest ever environmental funding bond, passage of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, adoption of the Clean Vehicles Program and adoption of a regulation that protects Pennsylvania’s babies by restricting mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants. PennFuture has staff throughout the state, in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, West Chester and Scranton. The Philadelphia Inquirer called PennFuture the “state’s leading environmental advocacy organization.”

The Mountain Watershed Association is a community-based public interest organization concerned with the conservation, restoration and protection of the Indian Creek Watershed in Fayette and Westmoreland Counties. MWA’s major purposes include bringing about remediation of the numerous abandoned mine discharges in the watershed, developing community awareness, promoting cooperative community efforts for restoration and encouraging sound environmental practices. In 2003, MWA became home of the Youghiogheny Riverkeeper, a program that expanded the vision of the organization into the larger Youghiogheny River basin.

The Center for Coalfield Justice was formed as the “Tri-State Citizens Mining Network” in 1994 by a coalition of grassroots groups and individuals concerned about the effects coal mining had on communities and the environment. The people involved recognized the need to build a strong voice in the coalfield community through public education and advocacy in defense of citizens’ rights. By working together, the groups provide mutual support for local events and share information beneficial to each group’s efforts. Tri-State was incorporated in 1999 and reorganized into the Center for Coalfield Justice in 2007. The Center for Coalfield Justice consists of both individual members and member groups.

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