Why opioid funds may not reach those most in need

Decades into Pennsylvania's opioid epidemic, it remains illegal to provide clean needles to drug users here, outside of select locales. 

As a result, harm reductionists in most of the state do this work in the shadows, risking arrest to prevent blood-borne infections with free stockpiles of alcohol wipes, tourniquets, and sterile syringes.

Pennsylvania expects to receive more than $1.6 billion in opioid settlement funds total, but the state’s ban makes it significantly harder for the money to directly support expanding syringe services in many places, Spotlight PA and WESA report.

Also this week, the legislature has quietly paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past five years to settle sexual harassment and other claims. Many of the settlements include controversial secrecy clauses and other provisions that prevent public disclosure of the agreement.

Finally, as lawmakers continue to debate whether to fund parts of the state budget, people who run key programs around the commonwealth are being forced to make tough decisions.

"We never got that opportunity to pass hiking down through generations because we’ve been living in so many centuries of terror and lynchings."

—Anthony David Jr. on how he wasn't comfortable exploring state parks and forests while attending college in Harrisburg.

Showing up was crucial to unpack the complexities of developing old mine lands

When I joined Spotlight PA as the rural affairs reporter this summer, I knew I needed to show up in the communities I would cover.

That mentality brought me to rural Rush Township in Centre County on more than one occasion, where I looked for the orange and red waterways that mark the Moshannon Valley’s coal mining past, and talked to local officials about a proposed solar project on roughly 1,500 acres off Coaldale Road. 

It’s a 4-mile stretch where ATVs are commonplace, and winter maintenance is limited. The two brisk afternoons I spent there this fall confirmed the "martian in nature" landscape that was described to me by David Mason, the township's solicitor. Driving along the road and back into town, I realized just how many waterways and nearby banks have a reddish tint, which I had never noticed before.

A group of developers set their sights on the township, where about 3,700 people live, and announced their plan to build a 239-megawatt solar array last fall.

I recently reported on how the proposed project forced Rush Township to face its mining past.

I began working on this story in August after hearing about how the Moshannon Creek Watershed Association, which works to protect its namesake, had concerns about how the project — specifically its location — could deter existing efforts to reclaim abandoned mine lands. Waste from past mining activity, predominantly before stricter federal regulations took effect in 1977, can harm wildlife.

The watershed group attended some of the township supervisors’ monthly meetings to share their concerns about how the array — depending on its placement — could prevent additional testing and create a decadeslong wait for cleaner streams.

I also made multiple trips to the township building to speak with the supervisors, confirm public hearing dates with the township secretary and treasurer — who wasn’t always accessible by phone — and review meeting agendas posted on the front door. The township doesn’t currently have a website, so this information isn’t widely available.

I couldn't have reported this story over the phone or through emails. I had to show up. Going to Rush Township helped me connect with local officials and residents to hear about the proposed project, confirm specific details on ordinance language, and get information on future public meetings.

After hearing from people about tainted waterways running through their community, I wanted to see with my own eyes how coal mining — and abandoned sites — still affect the area today. And I realized that I had seen similarly colored streams throughout Pennsylvania before, but I never knew the underlying cause. —Marley Parish, Spotlight PA

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