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Environmental Justice Areas in Southeast Pennsylvania

Prepared for the

2025 Eco Summit: Pilgrims of Hope for Creation

March 29, 2025

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What is: Environmental Justice?

  • Term originated from 1988 Study: “Toxics and Race”
  • In Pennsylvania term has come to ascribe those areas of the commonwealth that are subject to higher levels pollution and debilitating socieoecomonic factors
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) created the PennEnviroScreen framework which provides an annually updated snapshot of undue environmental burden on vulnerable communities.
  • This model combines Pollution Burden and Population Characteristics data in order to identify Environmental Justice (EJ) Areas in accordance with the EJ Policy, which will increase public participation in the permitting process of proposed facilities.

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PennEnviroScreen Score

  • For each municipality is scored in a model that combines the “Pollution Burden” and “Population Characteristics data”. Those municipalites that score 80 or higher are identified as Environmental Justice (EJ) Areas.
  • Currently EJ Policy, calls for increase public participation in the permitting process of proposed facilities sited in Environmental Justice (EJ) Areas. This is managed by DEPs Office of Environmental Justice
  • Under provision of SB652

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Exposures + Effects =�Pollution Burden

Environmental Exposures

  • Ozone 
  • PM25 :
  • Diesel PM10 :
  • Toxic Air Emissions :
  • Toxic Water Emissions :
  • Pesticide :
  • Traffic 
  • Compressor Stations :
  • Children's Lead Risk :

Environmental Effect

  • Conventional Oil Gas Well :0\
  • Unconventional Oil Gas Well :0\
  • Railroads :
  • Land Remediation :
  • Hazardous Waste and Storage Sites :
  • Municipal Waste :
  • Coal Mining :
  • Impaired Lakes and Streams :
  • Mining Concerns :
  • Flood Risk :

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Health & Socioeconomic Challenged�= Population Characteristics

Health Sensitive Population

  • Asthma
  • No Insurance
  • Cancer
  • Disability
  • Heart Disease

Socioeconomic Challenged Population

  • Low Educational Attainment
  • Linguistic Isolation
  • Housing Burden
  • Poverty
  • Unemployment
  • Race
  • Over 64 & Under 5

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PennEnviroScreen Documents

Widespread Environmental Burden

Legend: PennEnviroScreen

Score 2024

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There are 1,965 environmental justice communities throughout Pennsylvania

Reference: PennEnviroScreen. Pennsylvania department of environmental protection. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://gis.dep.pa.gov/PennEnviroScreen/

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�PennEnviroScreenScore �2025�

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The darker the color the greater the burden

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Southeast, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Bucks

Chester

Montgomery

Delaware

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Philadelphia

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Environmental Justice Area�Municipalities

Montgomery County

  • Norristown Borough (100)
  • Pottstown Borough (85)

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Bucks County

  • Bristol (99)
  • Bensalem Township (98)
  • Langhorne Manor (96)
  • Tullytown (95)
  • West Easton (93)
  • Ivyland (88)

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Environmental Justice Area�Municipalities

Chester County

8 of 71 Municipalities

  • Coatesville (80)
  • North Coventry Township (84)
  • Honey Brook Township (87)
  • Valley Township (95)
  • South Coatesville (97)
  • Modena (97)
  • Wallace (98)

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Delaware County

15 of 49 Municipalities

  • Chester City (100)
  • Colwyn Borough (97)
  • Chester Township (97)
  • East Lansdowne Borough (83)

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Majority White Communities (4)

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Delaware County �Environment Justice Area Municipalities

Majority African American (4)

  • Chester City (100)
  • Colwyn Borough (97)
  • Chester Township (97)
  • East Lansdowne Borough (83)

Majority Minority (6)

  • Trainer Borough (100)
  • Darby Township (97)
  • Darby Borough (87)
  • Clifton Heights Borough (86)
  • Folcroft Borough (84)
  • Upland Borough (83)

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Delaware County Minority Municipalities �that are not Environmental Justice Communities

African American

  • Yeadon Borough (73)
  • Collingdale Borough (72)
  • Sharon Hill Borough (65)

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Majority Minority

  • Millbourne Borough (72)
  • Upper Darby Township (59)
  • Lansdowne Borough (47)

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Reilly Township, PA

Piney Township, PA

Chester, PA

Delays in Environmental Justice Create Long-Term Risks for Our Children (cont.)

Disability

No Insurance

Asthma

Cancer

Heart Disease

Reference: Mathiarasan S, Hüls A. Impact of Environmental Injustice on Children's Health-Interaction between Air Pollution and Socioeconomic Status. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(2):795.

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Delays in Action Amplify Healthcare Costs

and Loss of Productivity

Asthma1

Heart Disease2,3

Cancer4,5

  • The annual per-person medical cost of asthma was $3,266
  • Missed work and school days, combined, cost $3 billion per year, representing 8.7 million workdays and 5.2 million school days
  • PA spends over $15 billion annually
  • The mean annual cost of treating heart disease was $5,540 per adult
  • Indirect costs, including lost productivity, costs $237 billion, and is project to increase 55% by 2035
  • For patients undergoing chemotherapy, average annual medical and pharmacy expenses can reach approximately $111,000

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  • In 2020, the productivity cost of cancer mortality was $147.6 billion

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References: 1. AMJC. CDC Study Puts Economic Burden of Asthma at More Than $80 Billion Per Year. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.ajmc.com/view/cdc-study-puts-economic-burden-of-asthma-at-more-than-80-billion-per-year 2. AHRQ. Healthcare Expenditures for Heart Disease among Adults Aged 18 and Older in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2020. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/st550/stat550.pdf 3. AHA. Cardiovascular disease: a costly burden for America. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.heart.org/-/media/Files/About-Us/Policy-Research/Fact-Sheets/Public-Health-Advocacy-and-Research/CVD-A-Costly-Burden-for-America-Projections-Through-2035.pdf 5. Bradley CJ, Yabroff KR, Dahman B, Feuer EJ, Mariotto A, Brown ML. Productivity costs of cancer mortality in the United States: 2000-2020.

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Reference: PennEnviroScreen. Pennsylvania department of environmental protection. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://gis.dep.pa.gov/PennEnviroScreen/

1. Traffic

2. Conventional Oil and Gas Well

3. Hazardous Waste Storage

4. Flood Risk

5. Coal Mining

1. Pesticides

2. Traffic

3. Landfill

4. Coal Mining

1. Chemical Plant

3. Railroad

5. Solid Waste

6. Traffic

2. Airport

4. Oil Refinery

7. Trash Incinerator

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1. Pesticides

2. Traffic

3. Landfill

4. Coal Mines

Reilly Township, PA in Schuylkill County

123rd District, Rep Tim Twardzik

Final Score Percentile: 93

Reference: PennEnviroScreen. Pennsylvania department of environmental protection. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://gis.dep.pa.gov/PennEnviroScreen/

Environmental Burden by District

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1. Traffic

2. Oil and Gas Wells

3. Hazardous Waste Facility

4. Flood Risk

Piney Township, PA in Clarion County

63rd District , Rep John Bashline

Final Score Percentile: 92

Reference: PennEnviroScreen. Pennsylvania department of environmental protection. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://gis.dep.pa.gov/PennEnviroScreen/

5. Coal Mines

Environmental Burden by District

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