NJ Assembly Committee Vote Today Sets Stage For Final Passage of Environmental Justice Bill Thursday

(Trenton) — The NJ Assembly Appropriations committee passed NJ’s Environmental Justice Bill, S232/A2212, today setting the stage for final passage out of both houses Thursday. Over 300 folks participated in a virtual town hall with the bill’s lead sponsors, Sens. Singleton and Weinberg and Asm. McKeon, last Wednesday.

An incredibly powerful and diverse array of over 250 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents including unions, justice, faith groups, urban mayors, and an united environmental community called on the NJ State Assembly to pass the strongest possible version of the cumulative impacts bill (S232/A2212) in July.

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.

The letter signed and presented by over 250 groups throughout NJ goes hand in hand with the messages delivered by Governor Murphy and DEP Commissioner McCabe, 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 last month, urban mayors, NJ NAACP, and NJ’s leading progressive organizations.