Electricity bills around the United States are skyrocketing. (CNN). In Pennsylvania, household electricity prices have shot up nearly 50 percent over the past five years. (Inside Climate News). Ratepayers in Ohio and West Virginia have also experienced dramatic price increases. Low and middle-income households have had a hard time keeping up. (Pa. Capital-Star). In 2025, nearly 290,000 Pennsylvania households had their electric service disconnected for falling behind on their payments — a 14 percent increase from 2024. (Pa. PUC).
Losing electric service can harm physical and mental health. (ABC News). In the most extreme cases, disconnection can result in homelessness or death. (Nature). To “keep the lights on,” families may forgo food, medicine, child care, and other basic needs. (Pa. Capital-Star).
Given the stakes, it’s important to understand how electricity prices are set, why costs are going up, and, most importantly, what we can do about it.
When I moved to Virginia after college in 2016, I wanted a quiet neighborhood to call home, close to work and family. After the data center arrived, everything changed. I can’t bring myself to leave, even though I no longer see myself starting a family here. Over the past decade, I’ve built a support network, advanced my career, and remained close to relatives who depend on me. Every weekend, I watch my nephews, who go to the local elementary school just down the road. They notice the changes too, though they cannot comprehend their implications. Now, I feel stuck and unsure what to do.
Environmental justice exists because Black communities have always organized for clean air, safe water, healthy homes, and dignity. From fighting toxic dumping to defending land, housing, and public health, Black environmentalists have shaped the movement—often without recognition. We must thank Black leaders for addressing the interconnection between civil rights, labor safety, housing, and environmental health—their advocacy continues to shape how environmental law understands equity, participation, and accountability today.
Check out this blog for some fun resources, including a zine to print and share with your community!
Residents throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, are raising the alarm as new data centers, warehouses, and industrial facilities move in rapidly leading to public concerns surrounding noise, water, and power-usage. How is this happening so fast? Too often, municipalities approve these developments through quiet but completely legal rezoning processes. Many communities are left wondering: Can zoning rules really be changed that easily? Why don't we know about it? How can we get involved before final decisions are made? How does this work, and is there anything I can do about it?
Here's how the zoning process works, how municipalities change their zoning maps and codes, what the legal requirements are, and how you can better advocate to protect your community from these unwanted changes.
In H.B. 96, the Ohio General Assembly snuck anti-environment provisions into the bill at the last minute that removed important protections for Ohioans who want to file complaints against polluters while also invalidating community air monitoring data. These statutory changes have no relationship to Ohio’s budget and thus violate the Ohio Constitution’s requirement that all legislation include only one subject.
Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services filed an appeal, on behalf of its clients Kelly’s Working Well Farm challenging their local government’s demand to cease operations due to zoning code violations.
On October 23, 2019 I arrived in downtown Pittsburgh. Just down the street, at the same moment, many of my clients were arriving too. I parked my car and walked into the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, a beautiful building with riverfront window that gives you a perfect view of the headwaters of the Ohio River, where my clients gathered.
Over the last two months select images from Fair Shake’s By Foot Project were on exhibition at the Huntingdon Arts Council in Huntingdon, PA.
Our “Employee Spotlight Series” will share with you who the people working behind the scenes to bring justice to our clients and their environments. This series will include interviews from both our Akron and Pittsburgh offices to give you an idea of who are and what we do.
The employee spotlight this week is Vanessa Goyes who is the summer social media intern at Fair Shake. She is from Long Island, New York. She is currently finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh where she will receive a B.S and a B.A for dual majoring in environmental science and political science.
Our “Employee Spotlight Series” will share with you who the people working behind the scenes to bring justice to our clients and their environments. This series will include interviews from both our Akron and Pittsburgh offices to give you an idea of who are and what we do.
The employee spotlight this week is Blanche Helbling, who is one of our summer legal interns in our Pittsburgh office. She has been with us since July and will stay throughout the summer. She is currently pursuing a law degree at University of Pennsylvania Law School and finished her first year this spring.
Our “Employee Spotlight Series” will share with you who the people working behind the scenes to bring justice to our clients and their environments. This series will include interviews from both our Akron and Pittsburgh offices to give you an idea of who are and what we do.
The employee spotlight this week is Michelle Browning who is one of our summer legal interns. She has been with us since June and will be interning through mid-August. She studied her undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati where she majored in Environmental Studies, and minored in Biology with a certificate for International Human Rights. She is currently studying law at the Lewis and Clark Law School.
The employee spotlight this week is Sarah Donahey who is one of our summer legal interns. She has been with us since June and will be interning through August. She is currently undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh studying Environmental Studies and minoring in dance. She grew up in State College, Pennsylvania.
