The Three Facets of WV Citizen Action: A 50 Year Legacy!

By Gary Zuckett, WV CAG’s Executive Director

       When I get the question, “What does WV Citizen Action do?”, it presents a challenge as we’re not a one-issue group, or a two-issue group, but a multi-faceted one, so I tell them this… We focus on three main issues or policy areas. 

#1 Climate/Environmental – WV-CAG was one of the founders of the WV Environmental Council back in the late 1980s. In the mid-2000s we organized landowners (who were getting bulldozed by oil & gas drillers) to form the WV Surface Owners’ Rights Organization (wvsoro.org). A decade ago, we started Energy Efficient WV (EEWV.org). We’re a founding member of the WV Climate Alliance, which grew out of the ad-hoc WV Climate Caucus we started around 2014. Our newest coalition work is with the WV New Jobs Coalition (newjobswv.org) and West Virginians for Energy Freedom (energyfreedomwv.org)  

#2 Democracy/Voting Rights – In the late 1990’s we helped form the People’s Election Reform Coalition, which exposed how special    interest campaign donations were negatively affecting our state’s public policies. Through WV Citizens for Clean Elections, (wvoter-owned.org) we’ve continued to fight big money in politics, oppose overly aggressive purging of voters by the Sec. of State, and work to protect and expand access to the ballot box for all citizens of our state.

#3 Health Care for All – Health care is a human right. That’s why we support a ‘Single Payer’ or Improved Medicare for All type of public health insurance that covers everyone. Until we get there, we’ll  continue working to expand affordability and access to medical care for all residents of our state and nation. As a founding member of the HealthCareforAllWV.org coalition we’re working with other state groups to lower Rx costs, make Big Insurance pay for the care we need, and remove social and income barriers to life-saving care. 

       As you can see, we do much of our organizing and advocacy work in close alignment with other WV nonprofits. Coalitions are where we build strength in numbers and power. This approach   leverages your membership dues and donations to increase the reach and effectiveness of our advocacy and campaigns. 

     2024 is the BIG 50th year for WV Citizen Action!  It’s hard to believe we’ve been around for half a century now! David Grubb and friends came together in 1974 with a vision, lots of energy, and enthusiasm to build an organization that has withstood the test of time!

 

Please consider becoming a supporting member

of WV Citizen Action or making a tax deductible

donation to our Citizen Action Education Fund!

 

THANK YOU!