LEADING POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP APPLAUDS BIDEN APPOINTMENTS TO EPA AND INTERIOR

TRENTON – The following statement is from Ed Potosnak, Executive Director and Lee Clark, Environmental Justice Policy Manager, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, celebrating the historic appointments made by President-elect Joe Biden nominating Rep. Deb Haaland to serve as the first Indigenous American cabinet secretary and head of the Interior Department and Michael S. Regan to serve as the first African American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

“I am thrilled about these appointments. It shows that the Biden administration will not only work to fight climate change, but also understands that communities of color suffer the most from unjust environmental policies, and we need this representation at all levels of government,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, New Jersey LCV and Biden Delegate in New Jersey. “Meeting the moment of the climate crisis and environmental justice with nominees who have experience in frontline communities validates the urgency and ensures that efforts moving forward will promote equitable solutions.”

“There has always been a rift between the environmental justice movement and the ‘mainstream’ environmental movement,” said Lee Clark, Environmental Justice Policy Manager, New Jersey LCV. “The opponents of environmental issues have exploited this rift. It’s important to bridge the gap and stop thinking of them as separate, but rather as one movement. These appointments are a step forward in that regard.”