Pennsylvania (HB 652)

The Pennsylvania House Environmental Resource and Energy Committee recently took several actions to advance Environmental Justice permitting legislation (HB 652), including voting it out of committee. As part of activity around the bill, our Eastern Pennsylvania Director, Maurice Sampson spoke before a State House Environmental Resource and Energy Committee hearing. Maurice testified that HB 652’s provision for facility permits based on cumulative impact is the legislative gold standard to advance environmental justice and that this legislation will even the playing field for low income and communities of color by valuing health over economics when considering whether or not to grant a permit. The bill is the product of a collaboration between us and State Representative Donna Bullock (D- Philadelphia). It’s modeled after a successful policy that passed in New Jersey. It requires facilities seeking permits to prepare an impact assessment that includes any potential negative impacts their operations may cumulatively have on the environment of surrounding communities as well as empowers the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to deny a permit application if it finds those cumulative impacts would be an added detriment to existing environmental conditions.