Philadelphians won back our Right to Breathe from a century of oil refining in South Philadelphia, and now justice is due. Philly Thrive, a grassroots environmental justice organization, seeks to repair 154 years of the refinery’s violence by achieving a complete clean up of the land.

You can help make that happen. We need 500 people to submit comments on the refinery clean up before the public comment period closes on january 14, 2021 (extended from 12/26/20).

Lead. Benzene. Toxic petroleum compounds & solvents. These are just some of the contaminants at the PES refinery site that will continue to threaten our health even after the refinery is closed if they are not cleaned up to meet Pennsylvania's public health standard. As of now, the companies responsible are only planning to clean up to a "site specific" standard that would endanger the health of current residents, workers at the site, and future generations.

An inadequate clean up does not move towards repairing the refinery's past harm- it continues the violence. Use this page to submit a comment on the clean up utilizing what Philly Thrive has learned about the contamination, and then join us for educational programs to learn more about the clean up Philadelphia needs & deserves for an area that makes up 2% of our city.