Rallies will take place at each of the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) regional offices in Harrisburg, Meadville, Norristown, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport on Earth Day. The coalition is calling for support from people who want to stand together to preserve and protect our communities from the assault and abuse of environmental devastation.
The rallies will demand that DEP fulfill its mission to “protect Pennsylvania’s air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment.” In order to do so, DEP must put the ‘public’ back in public policy.
Join the Earth Day coalition at your regional DEP office to demand our public officials:
• Appoint an environmental expert without industry ties as DEP Secretary to ensure DEP’s mission is fulfilled;
• Place a moratorium on permits for gas wells, compressor stations, pipelines, water withdrawals, coal mines, and other infrastructure related to fossil fuel extraction;
• Allow no more toxic secrets and full disclosure of water tests and other studies by DEP;
• Provide justice for those harmed by the oil and gas industry; and
• Reopen the DEP Office of Energy and Technology Deployment to develop solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies.
Northeast: Jay Sweeney, 570-587-3603, [email protected]
Southwest: Mel Packer, 412-243-4545 or 412-307-6827, [email protected]
Northcentral: Russell Zerbo, 215-567-4004 x130, [email protected]
Southcentral: Maria Payan, 717-456-5800,[email protected]
Northwest: Diane Sipe, 724-272-4539, [email protected]
Southeast: Chris Robinson, 215-843-4256, [email protected]
Currently the coalition includes:
Allegheny College Students for Environmental Action http://webpub.allegheny.edu/group/sea/Home.html
Benedictine Sisters Erie PA, http://www.eriebenedictines.org/
Berks Gas Truth, http://www.gastruth.org/
Brandywine Peace Community, http://www.brandywinepeace.com
Bucks County Green Party, www.pa.greens.org/bucks/
Citizens for Clean Water
Communities United for Rights & Environment, http://marcellus-cure.blogspot.com/
Cross County Citizens Clean Air Coalition
Damascus Citizens for Sustainability, www.DamascusCitizens.org
Delaware Riverkeeper Network, www. delawareriverkeeper.org
Energy Justice Network, www.energyjustice.net/
Environmental Justice Committee – Thomas Merton Center, http://thomasmertoncenter.org/projects/environmental-justice/
Food & Water Watch, Sam Bernhardt, www.foodandwaterwatch.org
Fracking Truth Alliance, http://frackingtruth.webs.com/
Frack Mountain, www.frackmountain.com
Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition, www.gdacoalition.org/
Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA), www.gpofpa.org
Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP), www.gpop.org
Growing Community Project, facebook.com/growingcommunityprojectPA
Celia Janosik, Beaver County Volunteer Water Quality Monitor
Kill Mammon, www.killmammon.wordpress.com/about/
Lehigh Valley Gas Truth, www.gastruth.org/
Lehigh Valley Greens
Lenape Nation, Chief Shelley DePaul, www.lenapenation.org/main.html
Luzerne County Green Party
Marcellus Outreach Butler, www.marcellusoutreachbutler.org/
Marcellus Protest, www.marcellusprotest.org/
Montgomery County Green Party, www.greens.org/pa/montgomery/
Mountain Watershed Association, www.mtwatershed.com
Northwest Greens, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwgreens/
Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens Group, www.pbccg.com/
PA Alliance for Clean Water and Air, www.pacwa.org/
Physicians for Social Responsibility Philadelphia, www.psrphila.org
Protecting Our Waters, www.protectingourwaters.com
Jasmine Rivera, Action United
Mark Schmerling Photography, www.schmerlingdocumentary.com
Shadbush Environmental Justice Collective, www.shadbushcollective.org/289/
Shale Justice Coalition http://shalejustice.wordpress.com/
South Hills Area Against Dangerous Drilling (SHAADD), www.shaadd.org
350 Berks & Lehigh Valley Climate Action
Dr. Walter Tsou, Phila. Commissioner of Health 2000-2002
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens’ Group, www.westmorelandmarcellus.blogspot.com/
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia/ Delco Branch,
York County Green Party, www.yorkgreenparty.org