Greenfire Coalition Writers’ Forum, A Work in Progress
Michael Sauers
March 17, 2026
It never ceases to amaze me when I review the history of Greenfire Coalition and the transition into Greenfire Coalition Writers’ Forum. Newspapers.com and my memory provide a chronological map. Over a brief five year period, the breadth, depth and scope of Greenfire’s work was herculean. From organizing a five county coalition of individuals and groups, developing/implementing an action plan, assessing/evaluating results and bringing all of this into the community at-large, the Coalition did amazing work.
Keep in mind that when Greenfire came into existence the area had already suffered from serious negative consequences. The legacy of coal extraction coupled with helter-skelter industrial development decimated the landscape and the populace. Mine land waste, polluted water, habitat destruction, wildlife decimation, polluting industries, high cancer rates, and low wage jobs were the norm. This had been accomplished by mostly unelected, self-promoting, inexperienced “leaders” who used a low bar approach to development. With total support from stakeholders like local media, landowners, amateur industrialists, local manufacturers, unskilled politicians and a low information public these “leaders” did incalculable damage.
Examples of their asinine and sophomoric work include but are not limited to abandoned coal lands and polluted streams, illegal dumping of toxic wastes throughout the area including Hazleton City Landfill, recruitment of polluting industries, total lack of environmental regulation/enforcement and keeping the public uninformed. The local media did virtually nothing to expose the total mismanagement of “economic development”. In fact, they went out of their way to promote these “glad handing, shovel wielding, back slapping leaders”.
So, this is the fray that the Greenfire Coalition stepped into. Initially, Gerard Hoefling and I did the organizing. We were shortly joined by a slew of individuals and organizations who had been slogging it out on their own. Within six months we had organized individuals/groups from Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne and Schuykill Counties. Approximately 25 groups plus dozens of individuals began working together. We swarmed all relevant government meetings and publicly confronted/challenged all local economic development organizations. Our guiding rule was, everyone is a leader and every leader deserves backup.
In a five year period, Greenfire had significant accomplishments. We affected elections, especially in the Greater Hazleton Area, stopped New Jersey Steel from coming to Humboldt Industrial Park, helped stop a mega-landfill coming into Foster Township, exposed, via the EPA Toxic Release Inventory, the enormous amounts of carcinogenic pollutants being released into local air/water, exposed the large list of Super-fund sites in the Greater Hazleton Area, called out/picketed local economic development agencies for recruiting polluting industries and not involving the public in determining their economic futures and conducting an aggressive public education campaign.
As with many endeavors, life happened. Marriages, children, education, relocation, death and changing priorities impacted and eventually ended Greenfire. It had all been done without any money other than pocket money. C’est la vie!
Years later, while writing an Earth Day tribute to Greenfire Coalition, I realized the enormous task we had undertaken and the meaningful results we brought about. I determined that this small piece of history could not be swept under the rug. So, after some deliberating and reality checking, I started the Greenfire Coalition Writers’ Forum. Last month, February, 2026, the Forum received 13,155 hits. I do the majority of the writing but there are several other writers who contribute.
Greenfire Coalition Writers’ Forum has a certain “je ne sais quoi” for me. Truth to power is so important. I feel like I have been doing that my whole life.