Tell Governor Shapiro to Take a Stand for Public Water and Environmental Justice Communities

Governor Shapiro: Take a Stand for Public Water and Environmental Justice Communities

The City of Chester is in bankruptcy and facing a fiscal crisis. Big Water is trying to take advantage of this crisis and force a hostile takeover of the well-run Chester Water Authority. This would more than double household water rates.

Right now, the state is debating the budget. It’s time for real solutions for environmental justice communities — not corporate water grabs. Use the form below to ask Governor Shapiro to take a stand by stopping the forced privatization of water systems owned by distressed cities and instead provide the real resources that communities need. This is a matter of racial and economic justice.

Send a message: Tell Governor Shapiro to stand up for public water!

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Governor Shapiro: Take a Stand for Public Water and Environmental Justice Communities

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Dear Governor Shapiro,

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I urge you to protect water and wastewater systems as public assets and advocate for additional budgetary resources to help redress historic harms and environmental injustices in the City of Chester and other distressed cities.

Water privatization would harm residents of Chester, a majority Black city with a poverty rate of 28.5 percent. The Chester Water Authority provides high quality drinking water at an affordable rate to the city and other communities across Delaware and Chester counties. Privatization would cause household water bills to more than double and create a water affordability crisis that would disparately impact Black families.

I ask you to rescind any and all policies that promote water and wastewater privatization, and to direct state-appointed receivers to stop recommending the sale of publicly owned water and wastewater assets to pay down municipal liabilities. Water privatization is a false solution for municipal budget shortfalls, failing to address the underlying reasons for a budgetary shortfall, saddling households with higher water rates permanently, and sacrificing local control over an essential service. These sales amount to a backdoor tax hike in the form of higher water bills — disproportionately burdening low-income households who pay a higher portion of their income on water.

It is a racial and economic injustice to force distressed cities like Chester to sell public assets that are essential for public health. Chester and other distressed cities have been treated as a dumping ground and state officials must not use their fiscal crisis to steal public assets for corporate profits.

Please take a stand for public water and for cities like Chester by providing the real resources that distressed cities need to become solvent. Provide funding through the Department of Community & Economic Development for Chester and distressed communities.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]