ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a grassroots movement started in response to the social and environmental impacts of longwall coal mining, and evolved into a struggle for justice employing legal strategies alongside community-driven organizing work. An important response included the creation of the Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ), a non-profit organization, to meet the needs of local communities in their struggle for environmental justice. CCJ provides community members with detailed information about proposed projects and potential impacts, so they can make informed decisions on individual or collective actions. The chapter provides background on longwall coal mining and its environmental, social, and economic impacts in the region. It describes the grassroots organizing efforts that developed in response to these impacts, tracing how they gave rise to CCJ in its current form, with a particular philosophy of collaboration and justice that guides its support to affected communities. Finally, the chapter reflects on the continuing struggle for environmental justice in southwestern Pennsylvania.
