There exists a pattern of historically disenfranchised groups in the United States, such as minorities and low-income communities, being exposed to a disproportionate level of environmental hazards such as toxic waste, pollution and urban decay. This relationship between social and environmental aspects has been termed environmental racism, and beginning in the mid to late 20th century the Environmental Justice Movement grew to combat the politically normalized existence of environmental racism (Cole). The Environmental Justice Movement began as a grassroots environmental movement that faced many obstacles stemming from deeply rooted social constructs regarding race, and social class. The social standing of the communities that caused corporations
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New friendships have been made, new coalitions built, new skills learned. The resident’s experiences have had and will have a lasting impact on Buttonwillow.”(Cole 102). In another aspect, however, the conflict is regarded as a failure, as plans for the Lokern dump’s expansion are moving forward, and the citizens of Buttonwillow have nothing tangible to show from their seven year struggle. Additionally, an energy company is trying to build a massive $4 billion dirty coal-powered chemical facility near Buttonwillow that would increase the amount of air pollution the community is exposed to (Greenaction). While the environmental racism at Buttonwillow is far from gone, the dedication and unity with which Buttonwillow citizens approached and continue to approach the issue speaks volumes about how a small community can transform into a powerful grassroots force despite what language barriers may exist. The battle is far from over and the community excels at demonstrating that despite miniscule odds of success, causes of such importance are worth continuing to fight …show more content…
The CRCQL discovered in 1994 that there was an individual company linked to a string of facilities bringing waste to Chester (Environmental). Being fed up with the Department of Environmental Protection’s seeming complicity with industry practices in Chester, the CRCQL sued the state for environmental racism in 1996 under the Civil Rights Act. The short term effect of the CRCQL v. Seif case was that, “…the EPA concluded that the health risks caused by environmental hazards in Chester are ‘unacceptably high’…”, and during the trial the DEP denied a permit to a company to create a contaminated soil bioremediation plant in Chester, which stood as the first time the DEP denied a pollution permit to a corporation that selected Chester (Public). As small as this victory this was, it set the scene for further work and today Chester, Pennsylvania is cleaner than it has been in decades. Perhaps one of the most influential results of the Chester conflict is that the appeals courts backed the community’s assertions that intentional discrimination did not have to be proved, only, “discriminatory effect on the part of the agency needs to be shown” in order for action to be taken against the corporations at fault
New friendships have been made, new coalitions built, new skills learned. The resident’s experiences have had and will have a lasting impact on Buttonwillow.”(Cole 102). In another aspect, however, the conflict is regarded as a failure, as plans for the Lokern dump’s expansion are moving forward, and the citizens of Buttonwillow have nothing tangible to show from their seven year struggle. Additionally, an energy company is trying to build a massive $4 billion dirty coal-powered chemical facility near Buttonwillow that would increase the amount of air pollution the community is exposed to (Greenaction). While the environmental racism at Buttonwillow is far from gone, the dedication and unity with which Buttonwillow citizens approached and continue to approach the issue speaks volumes about how a small community can transform into a powerful grassroots force despite what language barriers may exist. The battle is far from over and the community excels at demonstrating that despite miniscule odds of success, causes of such importance are worth continuing to fight …show more content…
The CRCQL discovered in 1994 that there was an individual company linked to a string of facilities bringing waste to Chester (Environmental). Being fed up with the Department of Environmental Protection’s seeming complicity with industry practices in Chester, the CRCQL sued the state for environmental racism in 1996 under the Civil Rights Act. The short term effect of the CRCQL v. Seif case was that, “…the EPA concluded that the health risks caused by environmental hazards in Chester are ‘unacceptably high’…”, and during the trial the DEP denied a permit to a company to create a contaminated soil bioremediation plant in Chester, which stood as the first time the DEP denied a pollution permit to a corporation that selected Chester (Public). As small as this victory this was, it set the scene for further work and today Chester, Pennsylvania is cleaner than it has been in decades. Perhaps one of the most influential results of the Chester conflict is that the appeals courts backed the community’s assertions that intentional discrimination did not have to be proved, only, “discriminatory effect on the part of the agency needs to be shown” in order for action to be taken against the corporations at fault