ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR CHESTER!

Welcome to Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL or “circle”). We are a grassroots community-led organization leading the environmental justice movement for clean air and healthy communities in Chester City and Delaware County, since 1992.

BAN THE BURN!

Did you know that the LARGEST trash incinerator in the U.S. is located in Chester, PA?

Learn About This Massive Incinerator!

The Covanta incinerator spews tons of toxic fumes out across our community and we're fighting for a cleaner environment for our children and all of our residents.

SAY NO TO LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG) IN CHESTER!

LEARN MORE

VIEW INTERACTIVE STORYMAP ON THE THREAT OF LNG AND OTHER POLLUTERS IN CHESTER


CRCQL COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Next CRCQL Community Meeting: December 19th @ 7pm on Zoom.

REGISTER HERE

CRCQL General Meetings are for Chester residents, Delaware County residents, allies & supporters of environmental justice in Chester City and across the region. We welcome newcomers!

JOIN A TEAM!

Action Planning & Communications Team meets every other Tuesday evening at 6:30pm on Zoom. The next one will be on December 10th. Research Team meets periodically.

Email [email protected] to be added to our email list to receive meeting reminders and action alerts!

VIEW OUR CALENDAR.


CRCQL Statement regarding Chester Stormwater Authority:

Thursday, May 16, 2024 Residents of Chester currently pay some of the highest stormwater fees in the United States. The Chester Stormwater Authority has borrowed millions of dollars that the residents will ultimately have to pay via rate increases. 

CRCQL stands in support of the Chester Receiver’s actions to demand the financial records of the Stormwater Authority. We applaud the motion that the Receiver’s office filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court for a federal judge to intervene.  This intervention would provide residents with the much needed transparency as to the financial operations of this public authority. 

For years, CRCQL has been concerned over the management of the Stormwater Authority, escalating fees for residents and lack of transparency. We are equally concerned about the roles of council members also serving as paid members of the Stormwater Authority’s Board, and the conflict of interest it creates. 

WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK – TAKE OUR STORMWATER SURVEY!


CRCQL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MARCH (4/20/2024)


UPCOMING EVENTS

Join us for our holiday celebration on Saturday December 21st from 2-6pm at Vittles (801 Sproul St) in Chester! There will be food, beverages, and good times! All are welcome and please RSVP by call/text to 484-402-7530. Hope to see you there!

Our youth group, CHOICES, welcomes all youth from the community to come learn more about environmental justice and build their leadership skills as change makers. Email chesterpajustice.org if you want to get involved!

PAST EVENTS

Miss Zulene led an EJ tour with Prof. Giovanna Di Chiro’s class to discuss the impact of polluters in Chester and show off Chester’s resistance, and the beautiful waterfront.

The last Fusion Friday with CMP Radio was Friday August 30th from 4-8pm in Memorial Park! There will be snacks, face painting, and prizes– come see us there!

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is holding two upcoming I-95 Delaware County Open Houses to provide citizens with the opportunity to learn more about transportation improvement projects along the Interstate 95 corridor in Delaware County. The projects include the I-95/U.S. 322 Interchange Improvement and the proposed Chester Noise Abatement projects, plus others nearby.

Open House #1: Monday, September 16, 2024 from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM at True Vine Missionary Full Gospel Baptist Church (701 Morton Avenue, Chester, PA 19013)

Open House #2: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 from 4:30 PM- 6:30 PM at Chester City Hall Community Room (1 E 4th Street, Chester, PA 19013)

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet project team members, ask questions, and offer feedback to help PennDOT design plans to best serve and benefit the community. The same information will be presented at both meetings so choose whichever is best for you! For more information about the I-95/U.S. 322 Interchange Improvement and Chester Noise Abatement projects, please visit www.95Delco.com.

The 4th annual Chester Justice Celebration was held on July 27th at the Access Center in Chester, PA. We had a great turnout with games, activities, prizes, and more!

El 27 de julio se celebró la cuarta celebración anual de Chester Justice en el Access Center de Chester, Pensilvania. ¡Tuvimos una gran participación con juegos, actividades, premios y mucho más!

CRCQL and CHOICES participated in the Dooman Day event on Tuesday 6/25 at Swarts & Culhane, in Chester PA. We held Sowing Seeds of Hope activities in honor of a little boy who lost his life to gun violence and learned how to grow plants from seeds, showing our connection with our environment.

On Sunday 6/30 from 12-2pm, we tabled at a youth event at the Shiloh Baptist Church (703 Central Ave, Chester PA). There were lots of activities and we had a great time!

Our youth group, CHOICES, had a training on Wednesday 7/3 at the ACCESS Center (701 Booth St, Chester PA) with free food, activities, and achievement certificates for our youth leaders!

Visit our NEWS & UPDATES page for full list of past events, actions and more. Or check out our Facebook page.


WEBINARS

“Looking Back, Moving Forward” Law, Policy & Environmental Justice
VIEW RECORDING OF CONFERENCE

Looking Back, Moving Forward, a 2-day virtual conference critically examining the past, present, and potential future roles of the law and legal strategies to advance environmental justice policy and action.

Zero Waste with Alex Danovitch

Watch our video on moving toward zero waste as we fight for environmental justice for Chester.

We're on the streets, and we work together to fight to end incineration, to clean up our environment, and for environmental justice for Chester.

About CRCQL

Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL, pronounced “circle”) has been leading the fight against environmental racism in Chester, PA since 1992. Learn more about CRCQL’s history here.

CRCQL is a community-led activist group led by Chester residents and others concerned with air pollution and the health of our community, in Chester City and across the region.

CRCQL demands an end to toxic trash incineration at the Reworld facility, formerly Covanta, in Chester, increased emission standards for other polluters along the Delaware River, and opportunities of clean, green jobs for residents. Together we advocate for clean air and justice in our city and across Delaware County.

CHESTER IS NOT A SACRIFICE ZONE! 

Email [email protected] to contact us and learn more.

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on how we're fighting to protect Chester, and how you can too.