Together, we assert that a strong bill is necessary to correct decades of environmental racism and chart a cleaner and healthier future in NJ’s Of Color and low income neighborhoods.  Ironbound Community Corporation, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, and Clean Water Action are leading this state-wide effort and rallying cry for justice. US Senator Booker has been a long standing national champion for this bill and will be testifying at today’s 1 pm virtual NJ Assembly Environment Committee hearing for its passage. 

This letter goes hand in hand with the message delivered by Governor Murphy and DEP Commissioner McCabe, as well as Speaker Coughlin calling on us to “carry the torch and live up to his (John Lewis’) example”, the national civil rights leader and congressman who passed away this past weekend.

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Monday, July 20, 2020

Dear Members of the NJ State Assembly, 

It is long known that communities of color and low-income neighborhoods often bear the greatest burden of pollution and COVID has only exacerbated the problem. This impacts our physical and economic health, quality of life, and ability to thrive, learn, and work.

Unfortunately, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) currently does not have a policy in place directing it to review pollution permit applications based on the cumulative impacts of toxic air from polluting facilities in a neighborhood.

That’s why it’s so important a strong cumulative impacts bill (S232/A2212, Singleton-Weinberg- Ruiz+2/McKeon-Vainieri Huttle-Timberlake+13) passes committee today and the full Assembly on July 30th. This bill has already passed the Senate and has the strong support of Governor Murphy, Senator Booker, the NJ Urban Mayors Association, Lt. Governor Oliver, and DEP Commissioner McCabe.

The bill is up in the Assembly Environment this afternoon and gives DEP the authority under reasonable circumstances to reduce cumulative disproportionate pollution impacts in already overburdened communities. It is a needed first step in correcting a legacy of environmental racism and injustice by expanding the rights of residents to weigh in on decisions, reducing disproportionate pollution burdens, promoting clean businesses over toxic industries, and making New Jersey a leader in the fight for environmental justice. 

This bill is long overdue. We urge you to do everything in your power, not just voting for but speaking up, to ensure a bill that not only stops future environmental injustice but also begins to reduce existing disproportionate and unfair pollution burdens. Help us get the strongest bill possible on the Governor’s desk by July 30th. 

The importance of passing this legislation into law could not be greater as the federal government works to roll back protections. We need our state to step up, be courageous and honor the legacy of John Lewis, civil rights leader and congressman, who passed away this weekend. 

Let’s not just say Black Lives Matter, let’s mean it, justice delayed is justice denied.

Respectfully,

Ironbound Community Corporation

New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance

Clean Water Action

32BJ SEIU 

BlueWaveNJ

Camden County NAACP Branch # 2080

CWA Local 1036

CWA Local 1081

Fair Share Housing Development

Garden State Equality

Housing & Community Development Network of NJ

HPAE

Hudson County Central Labor Council

IFPTE Local 194

Latino Action Network Foundation and Latino Coalition of NJ

Make the Road New Jersey

Metuchen-Edison Branch, NAACP

NAACP Edison Branch

National Organization for Women of New Jersey

New Brunswick Area NAACP

New Jersey Institute for Social Justice

New Jersey Working Families 

Salvation and Social Justice

Southern Burlington County NAACP Environmental & Climate Justice Committee

350NJ Rockland

Action Together New Jersey

American Reentry Initiative

Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey

Archangel Raphael's Mission

Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)

Banking on New Jersey

Bergen County Green Party

Bergen County Immigration Strategy Group

Bergen SWAN

Black Human Rights Defender 

Camden Clean Air

Camden Shade Tree Advisory Board

Center for Sustainability at Ramapo College of New Jersey

Central Jersey Environmental Defenders

Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War

Central Jersey Environmental Defenders

Citizens United for Renewable Energy (CURE)

City of Newark Environmental Commission

Clean Ocean Action

Clinton Hill Community Action 

Coalition Against the Pilgrim Pipeline

Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains

Coalition to Save South Mountain Reservation

Community In Action

Concerned Citizens Coalition of Long Branch

Delaware Riverkeeper Network

DivestNJ Coalition

Don't Gas the Meadowlands Coalition

Don't Gas the Pinelands

Earthjustice

Ecological Solutions LLC

Energy Justice Network

Environment New Jersey

Environmental Defense Fund

Environmental Justice Team at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood

EraseTheRedline Inc.

Essex County Federation of Democratic Women

Faith In New Jersey

Federation of Democractic Women Burlington County

Fifth and Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association of New Brunswick

Food & Water Action

Franciscan Response to Fossil Fuel 

Franklin Township (Somerset County) Council

Franklin Twp (Som Cty) Environmental Comm

Franklin Twp Environmental Commission 

Franklin Twp. JFK Democratic Club - Somerset, NJ

Franklin Woman’s Club

Friends of Liberty State Park

Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

Greater Cornerstone Baptist Church

Greater Newark Conservancy

Green Amendments For The Generations

Green Muslims of New Jersey

Green Ridgewood

GreenFaith

Groundwork Elizabeth

Hackensack Riverkeeper 

Hopewell Township Citizens Against the PennEast Pipeline

HUD Tenants Coalition

I Create Inc

Iota Phi Theta

Indivisible Cranbury

Indivisible NJ 5th District

Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope

Interfaith Action Movement (I AM)

JOLT USA

La Casa de Don Pedro

League of Women Voters of New Jersey (LWV)

LWV of Ridgewood

LWV Southern Monmouth County

Lutherans Engaging in Advocacy Ministry 

Metropolitan SDA Church

Middletown for Clean Energy

Moms Clean Air Force, New Jersey

Natural Resources Defense Council

Nehemiah Group 

Neighborhood Sun Benefit Corp

New Beginnings 

New Jersey and New York Awareness Project for Climate Justice

New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center

New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition

New Jersey Citizen Action 

New Jersey Climate Save

New Jersey Conservation Foundation

New Jersey Education Association - Essex County Retirees 

New Jersey Future

New Jersey Highlands Coalition

New Jersey League of Conservation Voters 

New Jersey Sustainable Business Council

New Jersey Tree Foundation

New Jersey-New York Metro Pachamama Alliance Community

Newark Water Coalition

NJ 11th For Change

NJ Association UCC Social Justice Task Force

NJ Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

NJ Sierra Club 

NJ State Industrial Union Council

NJ21United

North Jersey Sierra Club

Northern New Jersey NOW

NY/NJ Baykeeper

Occupy Bergen County

Our Revolution Essex County

Our Revolution Monmouth 

Our Revolution Passaic County

OurSociety.org

Pinelands Preservation Alliance 

PosiGen Solar

Princeton Progressive Action Group (PPAG)

Rancocas Conservancy

Raritan Headwaters

Regional Plan Association

Rise to Resilience 

Rutgers-Camden College Democrats

Rutgers-Newark Students for Justice in Palestine

Scott A Weiner Associates LLC

Setting the Captives Free Ministries 

South Jersey Democratic Socialists of America

South Jersey Progressive Democrats

South Ward Environmental Alliance 

St. Matthew A.M.E. Church

St. Luke AME CHURCH

Sunrise Hunterdon County

Sunrise Movement Montclair

Surfrider Foundation

Sustainable Jersey City

Teaneck Creek Conservancy 

Tracey Stephens Interior Design Inc

The Center for Environmental Transformation

The Climate Mobilization Hoboken Chapter 

The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County

The Land Conservancy of New Jersey

The Moving Forward Network

The Trust for Public Land

The Resistance Cafe

The Watershed Institute

The Wei LLC

Tristate Transportation Campaign

Unexpected Wildlife Refuge

Unitarian Universalist FaithAction NJ

Unitarian Universalist Of Sussex County Social Action Team

Urban League of Essex County

Vote Solar

Waterfront Alliance

Waterspirit

West Windsor Environmental Club

Westfield 20/20