Intense lobbying from residents, activists, and industry has stalled legislative action to prohibit Philadelphia from sending its trash to Chester for incineration, writes Frank Kummer and Sean Collins Walsh for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

At the last minute, Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier opted to hold back a bill that would have halted the city from sending its trash to the Reworld Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility, where it is burned for energy.

“I made the difficult decision to hold the bill today because my colleagues have asked for more time with it,” said Gauthier.

She emphasized that she had not given up on the bill, which she said intends to address environmental injustice and stop “dumping on cities that are more vulnerable than us.”

Chester Mayor Stefan Roots and local activists voiced their support for the bill, pointing to health and environmental concerns, with Roots emphasizing that the Reworld plant burns more trash than all of Delaware County produces.

“Listen closely,” the Chester mayor said to the Philadelphia City Council, in remarks reported by Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.

“Ninety-eight percent of trash burned in Chester comes from somewhere else,” Mayor Roots said. “Chester contributes just 2 percent of the trash burned in Chester. What we get in return is sick people, a devalued riverfront, and no mayor willing to fight this battle from Chester City Hall until the citizens elected me in a landslide victory.”

Gauthier placed the bill on hold after hours of public testimony, both supporting and opposing it. The majority speaking against the bill were Reworld employees or representatives of labor unions.

Read more about the Stop Trashing Our Air Act in The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily Times.