Environmental Injustice: Op-Ed piece by Thom Nixon (11/6/25)

Opinion piece featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday, November 6th, written by Thom Nixon

Original article here: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/letters/letters-editor-november-6-2025-20251106.html

I grew up in Chester, a small city along the Delaware River in the shadow of Philadelphia and Wilmington. For generations, residents here have lived with the consequences of environmental injustice — industries polluting our air, land, and water while communities bear the health costs.

Within just 20 square miles of southeastern Delaware County, there are at least 11 major polluting facilities, including waste incinerators and petrochemical plants. Add truck traffic, pipelines, and fuel storage tanks, and it becomes clear that Chester and its neighboring towns have been treated as the region’s dumping ground.

Black, brown, and low-income communities are often told these industries bring jobs and growth, but what they deliver instead are higher rates of asthma, cancer, and chronic illness. The People’s Cancer Incidence Screening Tool (pcist.net) confirms what residents have long known: Our cancer rates exceed state and national averages.

Organizations like Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living and Marcus Hook Area Neighbors for Public Health have led the call for accountability. They remind us that Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean air and pure water — rights that should not depend on one’s zip code.

It’s time for state lawmakers to pass House Bill 109, requiring cumulative impact reviews before new industrial permits are approved. Communities like Chester deserve clean air, safe water, and a healthy future.

Thom Nixon,Chester