Table of Contents
Above image taken from Tiger Mapping Service, 1997.
The Problem
Since 1985, a Pittsburgh investment company known as Russell, Rea & Zappala
(and now Gomulka), has continued to build several toxic and hazardous waste treatment
facilities in the community of Chester, Pennsylvania. Located Southwest of Philadelphia
in Delaware County, Chester is home to approximately 44,000 residents, most of
which are African American and low income. Chester is also currently home to four
toxic and hazardous waste treatment facilities, which residents claim are the
underlying source of their recent health problems. The state government, however,
has responded by claiming that a cause and effect relationship has not been determined,
and consequently the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) continues to
grant permits for the construction of more hazardous waste facilities in Chester.
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Background
In the mid 1980's, the residents of Chester City, Pennsylvania had no idea
that their community had been targeted and would later become home to numerous
toxic and hazardous waste treatment facilities as the state's landfills neared
capacity. Residents also had no idea how much their lives would change as state
officials continued to grant additional permits for the construction of more waste
treatment facilities.
Chester is currently home to four hazardous and municipal waste treatment
facilities, including the nation's largest infectious medical waste treatment
facility, the nation's fourth largest trash-to-steam incinerator, (a waste-water
treatment plant which in turn, incinerates the hazardous resulting sludge),
and currently under development, a processing incinerator to treat contaminated
soil. For years, Chester residents have complained to the state that they are
experiencing negative health effects as a result of the heavy pollution in their
area generated by these and other surrounding facilities. The quality of life
in Chester has seriously degraded as residents continuously complain of constant
headaches, sore throats, skin disorders, and asthma. Property values in this
community have fallen drastically as more residents report structural damages
to their home which residents say is the result of dump trucks loaded with tons
of trash rumbling down their streets on a daily basis. The toxic and hazardous
waste facilities in Chester currently handle more than 67% of the county's total
waste, and also harbor medical waste from five other states including Ohio,
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey.
In 1994 the residents of Chester got the attention of the federal government,
who turned this matter over to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The
results of their six month cumulative risk assessment study found that Chester
has the highest percentage of low-weight births in the state, nearly double
the rate for the entire county, and a mortality and lung cancer rate that is
60% higher than the rest of Delaware County. The EPA also found that the children
of Chester have the highest concentration of lead in their bloodstream relative
to the children in the rest of the state, and has the highest infant mortality
rate in the state. Also, the EPA found that many Chester residents are already
in poor health which makes them more susceptible to the aggravating effects
of pollution. While the findings of the EPA study supported the concerns Chester
residents have had all along, the EPA, however, claimed to have no real power
to make meaningful change in the Chester community and the state under the direction
of the DEP continues to grant permits to RR&Z. The residents of Chester have
come to rely on each other by forming numerous grass-roots organizations and
pulling together what little resources and power they have to stop the environmental
injustice currently taking place in Chester.
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Key Actors
Zulene Mayfield
Zulene Mayfield is chairperson of a grass-roots organization known as Chester
Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL). This local, community based
organization has been fighting for environmental justice in Chester for the
past four years, and advocates a non-violent approach in combating this struggle
which has been met by harassment and intimidation by the owners and operators
of the facilities in Chester. Mayfield does not consider herself an environmental
activist, but merely a resident who is fed up with the pollution, corruption,
and injustice in the Chester community. CRCQL was formed in 1992 to deal with
residents concerns about the increasing number of waste facilities being built
in Chester, along with the horrendous odors, noise, air, water, and ground pollution
which residents say is the underlying source of health problems that have plagued
the neighborhood since the arrival of these facilities. Due to their lack of
power and financial resources, residents of this low-income, minority community
are being viewed as acceptable risks with low liability.
Campus Coalition Concerned with Chester
Another local grass-roots level organization calling for action against RR&Z
and the DEP is the Campus Coalition Concerned with Chester (C-4) which is comprised
of a network of schools throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states coming
together to fight for environmental justice in Chester. Members of this group
have been instrumental in conjunction with the CRCQL in terms of informing those
concerned with the situation in Chester via the internet and e-mail. This coalition
was formed early this year through the College Weekend Retreat on Environmental
Justice which took place at Swarthmore College and in Chester. The purpose of
their organization is to assist the CRCQL in developing strategies to get more
people (particularly students) involved in this struggle and participate in
protests against RR&Z and the Department of Environmental Protection, which
they refer to as the "Department of Emissions Permitting." They also develop
campaigns to bring the issues in Chester to a statewide and national level.
SPEEC (Students Promoting Environmental Equality in
Chester)
SPEEC is a local C-4 chapter which is responsible for spreading the word on the
most up to date information regarding Chester and its residents. The primary method
of communicating to those concerned with the environmental injustice in Chester
is via the internet. The students at SPEEC commonly obtain articles written about
Chester and by permission reprint them so that those interested can read about
what other communities are hearing about the Chester community. SPEEC also updates
participants about future events such the summer C-4 conference which took place
in the summer of Ô95. For those unable to attend, SPEEC summarizes the conference's
initial goals and which ones were met at the conference. In general, SPEEC acts
as a focal point for information on the situation in Chester between the CRCQL
and C-4.
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Demographics
Chester City, Pennsylvania is a low-income, predominately black (65%) neighborhood
comprised of roughly 44,000 people. The residents of this community make-up 8%
of Delaware County's entire population, and has the highest percentage of minorities
in the state. The median family income in Chester is 45% lower than in Delaware
County, and the poverty rate is 25%, more than three-times the rate in the entire
County. Chester has a median family income of $24, 893 which is the lowest in
the state of Pennsylvania. It has the third highest percentage (32.1%) of children
under the age of 18, and by far the highest number of people below the poverty
line (>10,000) compared to Upper Darby township, who is second with 5,653. The
Chester community also has the highest number of residents who are unemployed
(2,236). Chester also has the third highest percentage of non-highschool graduates
in the state, and only one-fourth of its residents have some college education.
In terms of housing, Chester has roughly 16, 512 housing units, 14, 537 are currently
occupied while 1, 975 are vacant. Of the total number of homes in Chester, 7,776
of them are owned outright by residents, and the median value of homes in Chester
is $37, 800, by far the lowest in the state.
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Strategies Used
At the beginning of this struggle, residents were not organized and engaged
in various tactics which required a great deal of effort, and the effects were
minimal. For example, making phone calls and writing letters to the DEP complaining
of the pollution billowing out of the RR&Z facilities and staging rallies and
protests against the headquarters of RR&Z and the DEP proved to be ineffective,
as peaceful protesters in the past have been hit by garbage trucks. Gathering
signatures to oppose the construction of a biohazardous facility is another tactic
that was used, but once again with little success.
In 1992, the formation of various grass-roots level organizations such as
CRCQL and C-4 empowered residents in many ways. For one thing, it allowed residents
to coordinate their ideas and efforts as a collective rather than as individuals
with little organization, preparedness, or power. It allowed them to hold public
hearings and statewide conferences, which resulted not only in getting more
people from Chester involved, but from neighboring communities as well. Holding
public hearings and conferences also allows individuals to pull together their
ideas into forming long-term strategies such as educating the residents of Chester
as to the aggravating effects pollution can have on one's health and how children
in particular are especially at risk in Chester because of their vulnerable
immune system.
One strategy that is currently used and could prove to be effective is the
recruitment of concerned individuals via the internet, in which those interested
in participating in this struggle can register their e-mail address with any
of the key actor organizations mentioned earlier. Another strategy that has
been adopted particularly by C-4 is college/public radio promotion of the situation
in Chester. This has helped to get more people involved and in some cases, financial
donations have been received by those who are unable to participate directly.
Another strategy involves making people outside of Chester whose waste ends
up in RR&Z facilities about the environmental injustice currently taking place
in Chester. C-4 has brochures to distribute to the public since many in this
low-income community do not have internet access.
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Solutions
Perhaps the biggest step taken by the grass-roots organizations fighting
both RR&Z and the DEP is the recent filing by the CRCQL of a federal lawsuit accusing
them of "Environmental Racism." More specifically, the lawsuit claims discrimination
under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 saying that despite being home to only 8% of
the county's population, Chester currently handles more than 67% of the entire
county's waste. The lawsuit also accuses the DEP of discrimination in terms of
the disproportionate number of hazardous waste facilities located in black neighborhoods
relative to white neighborhoods in the state of Pennsylvania. In Delaware County
alone, black neighborhoods are currently home to eight commercial- waste sites,
while predominately white neighborhoods have only three. The federal lawsuit against
the DEP charging them with violation of the the 1964 Civil Rights Act is one of
the most important actions taken by the CRCQL and the residents of Chester.
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Recommendations
In my opinion the best recommendation would be to shut-down these polluting
facilities, however, this is unlikely to happen because politicians benefit at
the expense of the residents of Chester. In the past, some groups in other communities
have had success in their cases by attacking waste companies for ignoring environmental
regulations. In Chester, however, state officials have confirmed that the RR&Z
facilities meet with state ordinances even though residents continue to complain
of constant headaches, ear infections, eye irritations, bronchitis, asthma, and
fatigue. This is especially true for residents who have lived in Chester for more
than five years. What the CRCQL and C-4 need to concentrate on in their lawsuit
is trying to prove that the DEP disproportionately selected predominately black
neighborhoods for the citing of toxic and hazardous wastes. Also, although the
facilities run by RR&Z may comply with federal standards, the combining and accumulating
effects of the pollution generated by these facilities should be reevaluated by
an independent group or company which does not have any connections with the DEP
or RR&Z. This, however, is easier said than done for a community that has relatively
little power or financial resources.
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Contact Person/Information Sources
For more information regarding Chester, or if you would like to remain updated, participate, or become involved in this environmental struggle, you can contact any of the following people:
-- Zulene Mayfield, chairperson for Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) at 1-(610)-485-0763.
-- David Reese, representative of Campus Coalition Concerning Chester (C-4) at davidr@condor.sccs.swarthmore.edu
-- Erik Cole, representative of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) at
1-800-433-2283 (*8 5468#) or e-mail at midatlan@nwf.org
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