There’s injustice in our waters
The story of Flint, Mich., conquered the news in 2014 showing the injustices created by varied water quality, conversations heightened about our own water. Pittsburgh is ranked second in the nation with the most Clean Water Act violations.
I am privileged to live where no facility causes environmental burdens on my life. Not all Pittsburgh residents experience this. An EPA report identified that running water within three miles of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority was the most contaminated and most toxic. This disproportionate distribution of environmental burden is known as environmental injustice. This is not an isolated incident, in Philadelphia, hazardous waste facilities create the same environmental injustice that the PWSA plant is creating.
The overburdened communities these facilities are placed in are majority below the poverty line, People of Color, and have limited social mobility. It is no coincidence that facilities are placed where they are. The system in place has a precedent of repeatedly allowing for large companies to continue harm.
Communities cannot “fix” their water or move away because these are not accessible options due to a lack of resources. The most effective actions of fighting for better water face the most obstacles: voter suppression and the precedent of victims being squashed in courts.
What can our lawmakers do? They can utilize the Restore Pennsylvania plan to include an equitable distribution of resources that aid overburdened communities to achieve clean, healthy water. In 2020, the EPA awarded Pennsylvania $33.9 million to improve the drinking water. This money needs to go to communities that are being hit hardest by polluters.
The most proactive step we need to make is banning permits for facilities that cause more damage in overburdened communities. This is not an unattainable idea, as New Jersey’s governor did exactly that. The new NJ Executive Order declines permit applications for facilities that cause an environmental burden within an overburdened community.
We need to end the cycle of environmental injustice and need to start yelling the conversations regarding water quality to those in Harrisburg. TAYLOR PELOW Shadyside The writer a student at Carlow University.