The People Over Petro Coalition believes People – our health, welfare and interests – must be respected and protected over Petro – petrochemicals and the life-cycle impacts of its upstream and downstream industries including plastics.
We are a member-driven coalition working to reverse the expansion of the petrochemical industry in the Appalachian Basin and encourage a clean, renewable and regenerative economic foundation. We support good union jobs with family-sustaining wages without devastating low-income communities environmentally and economically.
We believe people – our health, welfare, safety and environment – must be respected and protected first over petrochemical interests.
We stand in opposition to fossil fuel-related projects that prevent communities from participating in a productive, sustainable future including: fracking, pipelines, processing infrastructure, petrochemical “cracker” plants, gas power plants, and the production of petrochemical-based products such as paints, adhesives, fertilizers and single-use consumer plastics.
People Over Petro understands that environmental justice concerns are closely linked to social and racial justice concerns. We stand together with fence-line and impacted communities facing the same threats as ours.
Finally, we understand that fracking and petrochemical plants will be major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, fueling the climate crisis and pushing our planet toward climate change. We need real alternatives to oil and gas, not “bridge fuels” that also destroy the environment and sicken people.
Mission
People Over Petro Coalition supports people in our communities to create a world that puts people’s health and well-being over fossil-fueled corporate profits.
Coalition Guiding Principles
All Coalition members, both individuals and organizations, will defer to the values and principles of the People Over Petro Coalition. Organizations are not expected to internally adopt these principles for their own work, but they agree to defer to them when working with or representing the People Over PetroCoalition.
The following is adapted from the Theory of Change and Guiding Principles of PA Sierra Club Chapter, the Jemez Principles, and the Climate Justice Alliance’s Just Transition Principles
Our shale gas and petrochemical work will not perpetuate economic and racial inequalities; health and environmental burdens; disrespect of Indigenous land rights; or disinvestment in marginalized communities.
We proactively engage impacted communities to break down social and economic barriers that prevent all people from creating and benefitting from a diverse and just transition beyond a fossil-fuel based economy.
We recognize impacted communities as leaders in shaping the movement, value them as decision-makers and position our work in their lived experience.
We engage with impacted workers to create solutions in support of a clean and just transition in Appalachia and beyond.
We foster a culture of mentorship and engagement to support the next generation of leaders who reflect the diversity of our communities and our people to build a broader and more equitable movement in Appalachia.
We value the transformational over the transactional and strive to develop long-term partnerships that share decision-making, resources, and power, both internally and externally.
We will practice the Jemez Principles at all levels of our coalition:
- Inclusivity
- Emphasis on bottom-up organizing
- Allowing people to speak for themselves
- Working together in solidarity and mutuality
- Building just relationships among ourselves
- Commitment to self-transformation
We will embrace Climate Justice Alliance’s Just Transition framework which aims to:
- Shift economic control to communities
- Democratize wealth and the workplace to advance ecological restoration
- Drive racial justice and social equity
- Re-localize most production and consumption
- Retain and restore cultures and traditions
Coalition Members
The People Over Petro Coalition is comprised of the following organizations and individuals. You can join the coalition as an organization or individual here.
Organizations
Individuals
- Megan Dinan
- Anaïs Peterson
- Dianne Peterson
Join People Over Petro
You can join our e-mail list or sign on as a member group or individual of the coalition:
Featured Shell Falcon photo credit: Mark Dixon/Blue Lens, LLC
Side bar polly photo credit: OVEC