Important Call to Action: Ask PA House to Vote for Environmental Justice Bill 109
Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (“CIRCLE”) has sent out this urgent call to action asking everyone to call our PA House legislators and legislative leaders vote for the environmental justice bill, HB 109.
Bill HB 109, which passed the committee in April, might be coming to vote in the House as early as June 30th. We are asking you to call our PA Representatives to urge them to vote YES to HB109!! Several groups have been informed that there may not be enough Democratic support to pass the House – which means it is even more important than ever we contact them!
Linked here is a CALL SCRIPT & CONTACT LIST with the information of Democratic representatives who are NOT yet co-sponsoring HB109.
Dubbed the ‘Environmental Justice Bill’, HB109 is a bill that would require the DEP to consider cumulative environmental/health impacts when evaluating permit applications in environmental justice communities. This is an important protection for communities like Chester, which are overburdened by polluting industries.
Please call and urge them to co-sponsor the bill and to vote YES when it comes to vote! Even if you can only make a few calls, that will certainly help! We’ve highlighted the house leaders at the top of the list.
About HB 109:
- New Permitting Requirements for Facilities: When a new facility is proposed or an existing one wants to expand in an environmental justice area, there will be stricter rules.
- Cumulative Environmental Impact Report: For these new or expanding facilities, the company applying for the permit will have to prepare a cumulative environmental impact report. This report must look at all the existing and potential future environmental impacts in your area, not just the impacts from the single proposed facility.
- Mandatory Public Hearings: Unless a public hearing is already legally required, the Department of Environmental Protection must organize and conduct a public hearing specifically for projects in environmental justice areas. This hearing must be held in a location convenient for residents, and the company applying for the permit must provide clear information on the potential environmental and health impacts.
- More information is available at this page.
Please contact CRCQL with any questions! Thank you for your support.