Chester, Pennsylvania Environmental Racism Case Litigated

Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living filed suit under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, arguing Pennsylvania's DEP disproportionately sited toxic waste facilities in Chester, a predominantly Black city. Chester had five waste facilities processing two-thirds of Pennsylvania's waste while representing a fraction of its population. The case, Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living v. Seif, reached the Third Circuit before the Supreme Court vacated it in 1998.