PA Accomplishments

History and Accomplishments

Click here to see our 2005 Accomplishments

Since starting work in Pennsylvania in 1983, CWA has emerged as a major force in environmental work in the state– as a champion for children against exposure to toxic chemicals, a leader in the fight for environmental justice, and a key voice for the protection of Pennsylvania’s natural resources.

REDUCING OUR EXPOSURE TO TOXIC AIR POLLUTION:

CWA helped residents of South Philadelphia negotiate an agreement with Sun Company to reduce pollution from its refinery. Sun paid a fine of $500,000, the largest in Philadelphia history, with $350,000 to be returned to the community for local environmental projects.

CWA helped residents in the Neville Island area stop plans to expand a local coke plant that has violated its permits for 6 years. CWA also helped convince county officials to impose a $2 million fine against the facility for its violations, some of which will be used for projects to benefit the local community.

CWA stopped state proposals to eliminate air quality standards for hydrogen fluoride, a highly toxic chemical used by the refineries in lower income minority communities in Philadelphia.

PROMOTING SAFE DRINKING WATER:

CWA helped win passage of a new Safe Drinking Water Act, which expanded the public right-to-know about drinking water quality and promoted new efforts to protect the sources of our water.

CWA helped local residents fight pollution from a steel mill in Butler County which was polluting their drinking water, forcing the plant to provide a new water treatment plant for the community and reduce its discharges.

CWA convinced Philadelphia city government to speed up plans to upgrade a water treatment plant in order to better remove cryptosporidium from tap water and to start a new program to warn vulnerable populations when the risk of contamination is greater.

CWA mobilized hundreds of watershed groups, public health activists and consumers to participate in the state’s source water assessment program, working to protect the sources of drinking water from pollution; and trained activists to participate in the new Total Maximum Daily Load program, developing plans to clean up and restore impaired watersheds.

CWA pressed utilities to improve their drinking water Right to Know reports, winning significant improvements in dozens of reports, providing better and more accurate information to consumers. CWA also forced the state to improve the rules for notifying people when their tap water is unsafe, increasing the frequency of such reports.

ELECTING PRO-ENVIRONMENT CANDIDATES:

CWA has helped elect numerous pro-environment candidates to the US Congress and the PA General Assembly, including US Rep. Joseph Hoeffel, state Senators Connie Williams and Lisa Boscola, and State Reps. Lawrence Curry, David Levdansky, Greg Vitali, Jim Wansacz and Rich Grucela; and educated the public about the voting records and positions of numerous candidates for office, publishing electoral guides and voting records.

We are an effective organization because of our political clout (strength in numbers). Please join CWA to help us achieve more environmental and health protection.

PROTECTING OUR HEALTH:

CWA has convinced several dozen school districts and municipalities, including Bucks, Chester & Montgomery Counties and the Philadelphia & Pittsburgh School Districts, to adopt Integrated Pest Management, reducing their use of pesticides and limiting the exposure of children to pesticides.

CWA developed a coalition of 100 groups -- including PTA’s, public health organizations, religious groups and teachers unions -- to promote state legislation requiring schools to use Integrated Pest Management and to notify parents before spraying pesticides. The Pesticide Notification Act was passed into law in 2002.

CWA displayed its award winning HOME SAFE HOME exhibit across the state, educating thousands of Pennsylvania residents about safer alternatives to toxic household chemicals; and presented its environmental health workshop to hundreds of people, educating them about the health effects of pollution and ways to reduce their exposure to health threatening chemicals.

CWA helped conduct a survey of 1,000 physicians to assess their knowledge of environmental health issues; and has educated hundreds of doctors and nurses about health threats from pollution.

CWA helped African American and Latino residents of several Philadelphia neighborhoods address local environmental problems, fighting to protect their health and well-being; and helped African American residents of Chester fight the concentration of waste facilities in their community.

EXPANDING RECYCLING & REDUCING OUR EXPOSURE TO WASTE:

CWA helped win passage of Pennsylvania’s recycling law in 1989, setting a 20% recycling goal and requiring larger municipalities to set up curbside collection programs.

CWA helped defeat proposed incinerators in Berks, Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery counties, convincing local governments to expand recycling programs instead.

CWA convinced Philadelphia officials to expand the city recycling program, setting up weekly collection programs in several neighborhoods that have increased recycling by 25%.

PROTECTING WATER QUALITY:

CWA helped win passage of the Clean Water Act to make all waterways fishable and swimmable, and has pressed for strong enforcement of pollution laws.

CWA stopped plans to weaken Pennsylvania’s water quality standards, killing proposals which would have allowed increased discharges of toxic chemicals to rivers, lakes and streams; forced state officials to withdraw proposed “antidegradation” standards that were too weak, replacing them with stronger standards that will prevent degradation of our streams and rivers; and stopped legislation that would have weakened the program that protects our most pristine rivers & streams.

CWA has educated policymakers about the dangers of water pollution trading, winning support from 50 groups for a platform of safeguards that must be included in any trading program.

CWA helped stop legislation that would weaken protection of the state’s wetlands, educating policymakers about the importance of wetlands in preserving groundwater quality; and helped win state adoption of legislation removing phosphates from laundry detergents to reduce pollution of the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways.

CWA helped protect numerous waterways in Pennsylvania from pollution and degradation, including Deer Creek, Lake Arthur and Nine Mile Run; the Allegheny and Clarion Rivers; the Brandywine River, Valley Creek and Springton Reservoir; the Delaware River; Monocacy Creek; and more.