PITTSBURGH – Maury Johnson of Monroe County, West Virginia is one of five people to receive the FracTracker Alliance’s 2023 Community Sentinel Awards for Environmental Stewardship for his role in fighting for environmental and social justice.

This year’s event will take place on Thursday, November 9, at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, and will be livestreamed for virtual participants. The event will feature music, art, and keynote speaker Eliza Eliza Evans, the creator of All the Way to Hell, an activist art project for disrupting fossil fuel development. Each winner receives $1,000 and the award, and will be recognized at the 2023 Community Sentinel Awards Ceremony.

“At the heart of the Community Sentinel Awards lies the recognition of exceptional individuals, the unsung heroes tirelessly advocating for a healthier, more sustainable future. They are the trailblazers cutting through the thick forest of challenges we face, providing a clear path for the next generation to follow. Their dedication, courage, and persistence are the guiding light in our collective journey towards a cleaner, more just world,” said FracTracker Alliance Executive Director Shannon Smith.

Additionally, according to FrackTracker’swebsite, “Established in 2015, the Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship is an annual award presented by FracTracker Alliance and Halt the Harm Network to honor the leadership of remarkable individuals working to protect communities from the harms of the fossil fuel industry.”

It continues, “Maury Johnson, from Greenville, West Virginia, is a member of the Board of Directors of Preserve Monroe (WV) and WV Co-Chair of the Protect Our Water & Heritage Rights (POWHR) Coalition. Maury, a southern West Virginia landowner whose organic farm has been impacted by the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), has been fighting the MVP and other harmful projects across West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina for over eight years.”

Responding to the news, Johnson shared in an email, “I am so honored. This would not have been possible without the collaboration and support of each and everyone of you. I am beyond words.”

Johnson, who has championed the cause of all those in the way of the MVP for nearly a decade, spoke with the Appalachian Chronicle in April 2022 about his experiences, and we’ve had countless background conversations. He has, as he said in our video interview last year, become a reluctant expert and activist. He is perhaps reluctant, but he is also relentless. The Appalachian Chronicle congratulates him and the other recipients:

• Sarah Martik, Center for Coalfield Justice, Pennsylvania
• Debra Ramirez, Mossville Environmental Action Now, Louisiana
• Gillian Graber, ProtectPT, Harrison City, Pennsylvania
• Youth Award: Anaïs Peterson, Earthworks, Pennsylvania

The FracTracker website continues, “As we come together to uplift the people working tirelessly to protect their communities, we are reminded that their actions are not only a response to ecological challenges, but also a resounding call for justice. The fight for environmental preservation is inseparable from the broader struggle against inequality and injustice, and by championing a healthier planet, we simultaneously champion the rights and dignity of those who bear the brunt of environmental degradation and systemic marginalization.”

It shares, “Each year, the Community Sentinel Awards show us that individuals truly possess the power to ignite collective action and inspire us to reflect on our own roles in this shared narrative. In the words of Chanté Davis, recipient of the 2022 Community Sentinel Youth Advocate Award, ‘We all have a place in this movement, and, together, we can move mountains.’”

Meanwhile, Johnson continues the fight. Sharing in a news release earlier this month, he said, “Notorious for hundreds of violations over multi-year start-and-stop construction, (the) MVP is currently installing pipe with expired safety coating, running equipment across Maury Johnson’s farm, and parking equipment on top of the buried pipeline, possibly violating construction permits and adding to the likelihood of stress fractures, leaks and explosions should MVP become activated.”

Learn more here.