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Master Carver, Lummi Nation
Master carver Jewell Praying Wolf James, who selected, designed and carved the healing totem pole coming from Seattle to Pittsburgh for the Clean Energy Ministerial, is more than an artist of international standing. James is the head of the House of Tears Carvers and a long-time leader of the Lummi Indian Nation. James also is a forceful advocate for worldwide environmental restoration and preservation.
The Lummi people are the original inhabitants of Washington’s northernmost coast and southern British Columbia. Traditionally, the Lummi people’s livelihood depended on salmon fishing.
For many years as Fisheries Director for the Lummi Nation until the mid-1980s, Jewell James championed salmon preservation, elevating the Lummi into a leadership role in efforts to protect salmon habitat. In 1986, he led the Lummi Nation’s Treaty Protection Task Force’s campaign to preserve the fishing rights and treaties for native peoples, as well as thwart proposed regulations and taxes that could have decimated tribal fishing fleets.
As a lifelong activist, James helped preserve traditional ceremonial sites in western Washington both for the Lummi plus other native cultural sites across the United States. James fought to preserve ancient cedar forests in the Pacific Northwest and to add to wilderness areas. The latter fostered the 1984 Washington State Wilderness Act that extended protection to more than one million acres of national forest lands across the state, including some 118,000 acres of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in the North Cascade Mountain Range of western Washington. This was the forest from which Jewell James selected the majestic western red cedar he crafted into the NLM’s healing totem. (Native Voices, NIH, Aug. 30, 2011)
Indigenous community organizer and spiritual leader, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Chief Rueben, on behalf of his First Nation, is co-coordinating the fight against the TransMountain Pipeline, a proposed tar sands oil pipeline and tanker expansion into Vancouver Harbor, the unceded Traditional Territory of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. This pipeline route is currently the only way this dirty oil from the Alberta Tar Sands is making its way from Canada to new markets in China and the Pacific region. This fight has significant implications for Indigenous global sovereignty, climate change and the future of the global oil economy. Chief Rueben is the grandson of Chief Dan George, the Oscar nominated and universally respected First Nations spiritual leader.
Braddock Resident
Ms. Abeyta lives in Braddock, Pa. and has been active for many years in the fight against unlawful pollution from the nearby U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Plant. She is a member of a residents advocacy group, North Braddock Residents for Our Future, which actively fought against a plan to put gas wellpads in close proximity to more than 1,000 residents.
Aliquippa resident. Clean Air Council organizer, BCMAC and Beaver County resident
Ms. Baumgardner lives on the frontlines of the petrochemical expansion in SWPA and has worked tirelessly to raise awareness on the health and economic impacts of the industry on Beaver County.
Washington County Resident
Ms. Bower-Bjornson works with Clean Air Council and lives on the frontlines of the fracking fields of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She has been taking citizens and leaders on tours of the fracking sites in her community for the last several years.
Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Community Organizer
As a community organizer for over 25 years, Lisa assists local communities in establishing local land use protections and ensuring residents get a seat at the permitting and regulatory table. Her work is supported by EIP’s top notch legal, research and communications teams to empower communities, protect public health and the environment by investigating polluters, holding them accountable under the law and strengthening public policy.
Re-!magine Beaver County
Ms. Martin is the founder and director of Re-!magine Beaver County, a grassroots group of residents, community leaders, business owners and dreamers who are calling for a paradigm shift in development—one that minimizes environmental harm while enhancing economic performance. The team’s mission is to mobilize a green technology economic development path that brings balanced economic, environmental and social benefits to residents of Beaver County. Creating jobs in industries that use renewable energy, advanced clean manufacturing methods and regenerative products, will respond to climate challenges and create healthy and resilient communities.
Clairton Resident
Germaine Patterson is a community health worker and activist, working with Valley Clean Air Now (VCAN), Women for a Healthy Environment, and New Voices for Reproductive Justice. She began this work in 2019 when she began working with Women for a Healthy Environment. It was at this time that Germaine became more aware of the impacts of environmental exposure on the health and well-being of the communities she serves as well as within her own household. Germaine's work focuses on Air Quality and Children with Asthma in the Mon Valley communities of Clairton, Duquesne and McKeesport. Her work includes educating families on Healthy Home principles, helping families navigate any barriers that may interfere with controlling asthma and assisting in grassroots advocacy. Germaine grew up in Duquesne and currently resides in Clairton.
Beaver County Resident
Mr. Schmetzer has been active with the community group Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC), that has formed “Eyes On Shell,” a group of residents actively watching activities around the Shell Petrochemical Plastic Plant in Monaca, Pa.
Media are invited to reach out to any of the following local experts and community activists or contact Breathe Project at info@breatheproject.org
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Transitioning away from fossil fuels will rapidly improve air quality and the health of people who are most vulnerable to the impacts of fracking, plastic and petrochemical pollution and climate change: Pregnant women and their infants and young children, the elderly, the poor, Indigenous and racially marginalized communities, people living with chronic medical conditions and outdoor laborers.
Executive Director, Breathe Project
Matt has worked with the Breathe Collaborative and its communication platform, the Breathe Project, since September 2016. From 2007 – 2016, he served as Program Director of Sustainable Pittsburgh where he created Pittsburgh’s sustainable business network, Champions for Sustainability, and its performance programs and networks. Matt has been teaching sustainability and environmental policy at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University, since 2008.
Senior Researcher, Energy and Petrochemicals, Ohio River Valley Institute
sean@ohiorivervalleyinstitute.org
Mr. O’Leary is a native of Wheeling, WV. He has written about coal, natural gas and their role in the economies of Appalachia in a book, a newspaper column and blog titled, “The State of My State.” He can speak to concerns around carbon capture and storage, hydrogen economics.
Executive Director, FracTracker Alliance
FracTracker Alliance is an organization that analyzes publicly available data to monitor trends related to the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. FracTracker has mapped and written extensively on the health, social, environmental and climate impacts of upstream, midstream and downstream activities.
Executive Director Environmental Health Project
info@environmentalhealthproject.org
Ms. Steele is a public health expert and works with frontline communities. She can address: research findings from epidemiologic and health studies, public health ramifications of poor air quality and proximity to shale gas infrastructure; policy landscape in Pennsylvania related to shale gas development and advocacy steps to support better public health protections.
Indigenous community organizer and spiritual leader, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Chief Rueben, on behalf of his First Nation, is co-coordinating the fight against the TransMountain Pipeline, a proposed tar sands oil pipeline and tanker expansion into Vancouver Harbor, the unceded Traditional Territory of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. This pipeline route is currently the only way this dirty oil from the Alberta Tar Sands is making its way from Canada to new markets in China and the Pacific region. This fight has significant implications for Indigenous global sovereignty, climate change and the future of the global oil economy. Chief Rueben is the grandson of Chief Dan George, the Oscar nominated and universally respected First Nations spiritual leader.
Fenceline Watch
Yvette Arellano is Mexican American gulf coast organizer based in Houston, Texas. They are the founder & executive director of Fenceline Watch, an environmental justice organization dedicated to the eradication of toxic multigenerational harm on communities living along the fenceline of industry. In 2015, Yvette led a campaign against H.R. 702, which opened the floodgates to U.S. crude oil exports. They were instrumental in the Center for International Environmental Law ‘Plastic and Health: The Hidden Cost of a Plastic Planet’. Yvette has testified before EPA, state and federal legislative bodies about public health impacts from toxic exposure and potential solutions. In their advocacy, they have aided in crisis response post chemical disasters and contributed to efforts to stop fossil fuel expansions, new export terminals, and offshore drilling. Currently, they are leading efforts in Texas to remove historical language barriers that limit public participation of migrant communities in oil, gas, and petrochemical expansion process.
The Natural History Museum
Beka is an environmental justice organizer, cultural strategist, and Director of The Natural History Museum, an award-winning initiative that leverages the power of history, monuments, museums and movements to support climate and environmental justice. The Natural History Museum collaborates with artists, activists, frontline communities, scientists, and scholars to develop advocacy campaigns with the goals of educating the public, measurably influencing public opinion, and inspiring collective action to protect natural and cultural heritage
Protect PT
Gillian is the executive director and co-founder of ProtectPT. As a mother of two, Gillian is passionate about keeping children safe from the impacts of fracking. After an experience dealing with air pollution issues in her own home, she developed firsthand knowledge of the health impacts pollution can have on a family and how government agencies often ignore residents in distress.
Women for a Healthy Environment
Germaine Patterson is a community health worker and activist, working with Valley Clean Air Now (VCAN), Women for a Healthy Environment, and New Voices for Reproductive Justice. She began this work in 2019 when she began working with Women for a Healthy Environment. It was at this time that Germaine became more aware of the impacts of environmental exposure on the health and well-being of the communities she serves as well as within her own household. Germaine's work focuses on Air Quality and Children with Asthma in the Mon Valley communities of Clairton, Duquesne and McKeesport. Her work includes educating families on Healthy Home principles, helping families navigate any barriers that may interfere with controlling asthma and assisting in grassroots advocacy. Germaine grew up in Duquesne and currently resides in Clairton.
Center for Coalfield Justice
Heaven Lee Sensky (She/her) is the Organizing Director with CCJ. She primarily serves Washington County and issues of Oil and Gas development. Her campaigns include solving the local childhood cancer crisis, advocating for harm reduction in relation to the opioid epidemic, and the intersections of racial and environmental justice. She was born and raised on a small farm right here in Washington County. She is a first-generation college student and a graduate of American University (Washington, D.C.) with a bachelor's degree in Communications, Law Studies, Economics and Government. She also received formal education in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Before joining team CCJ, Heaven interned in the United States Senate and for the office of Barack and Michelle Obama. She lives with her husband Casey and her dog Olive on her family farm.
If you have questions or comments, or would like to set up an interview with a voice of justice or health expert, please reach out.
