The Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition (SQREJC) is a coalition of grassroots civic organizations that have worked together for many years on a variety of issues, but which never officially formed a coalition until now. The focus has always been on improving the quality of life of the Southeast Queens Community through conducting town halls, rallies and forums on issues that negatively impacted the community. The coalition over the years has worked on matters as diverse as advocating for waste equity legislation; reducing the noise, odors and pollutants created by having waste transfer stations in close proximity to homes; and preventing the closure of a Veterans Affairs hospital. Over the last two months, we revived and established SQREJC as an official organization, for the purpose of advancing environmental justice in Southeast Queens, a predominantly Black and Brown region of New York City.

One of SEQREJC’s initiatives focuses on resolving chronic groundwater flooding that exists throughout the area that will worsen with rising sea levels. The coalition plans to determine how groundwater flooding is impacting the Southeast Queens area today in order to develop community-led solutions to this problem. In addition, the Coalition will seek to better educate our community on climate change/global warming and its impact, as well as green initiatives to move to a less fossil fuel-focused society.

Other initiatives currently in progress are:

• Working with the Just Transition Clinic at Morningside Heights Legal Services at Columbia Law School to find a holistic solution to groundwater flooding in Southeast Queens.
• Consideration of an independent engineering study with recommendations as to a solution to lower the community’s high-water table.
• Working with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest to ensure that the settlement agreement between the community and the waste transfer stations are met, including that all expected improvements are made to the facilities within the timelines set out in the agreement.
• Working with professors at CUNY—York College and Mt. Sinai on an air monitor study of the area where the waste transfer stations exist.