Sierra Club Supports Booker’s Environmental Justice Legislation

The New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club stood alongside Senator Corey Booker as he announced the Environmental Justice Act of 2017. The national Sierra Club also endorses the bill. The legislation aims to reduce environmental injustice by codifying President Obama’s executive order (EO 12898). It also codifies the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) and environmental justice grant programs. The bill “requires Federal agencies to address environmental justice through agency actions and permitting decisions, and strengthens legal protections against environmental injustice for communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities.” These communities are more likely to suffer from dirty energy including power-plants and incinerators and the repercussions of these projects including air pollution and public health issues. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“For far too long, certain communities have been targeted for pollution and environmental destruction. Communities such as low-income or communities of color are more likely to be located near hazardous waste sites and be exposed to pollutants at a higher rate. The working poor experience the biggest impacts from pollution. Developers are not trying to build incinerators in Short Hills or power plants in Rumson. Low-income communities are targeted for these projects and especially vulnerable. For the first time, we have legislation that codifies President Clinton’s executive order and comes up with a grant program to fund it. More importantly, it requires air and water permitting to look at cumulative impacts to these communities. We must be taking steps to eliminate environmental injustice in New Jersey and nationally. The Sierra Club supports the right to a clean and healthful environment for all people.

“In New Jersey, these communities who already have hazardous sites and polluting facilities are overburdened with more development. Pollution sources also come from cars and trucks on our highways, airports, power plants, incinerators, factories, and much more. There is clear, overwhelming evidence showing that low-income neighborhoods and communities of color in many of the large urban communities such as Newark, Camden, and Jersey City bear incidences of environmental injustice, including exposure to polluted air, water and lead-based paint. For example, Newark has 4 times as many asthma incidents as the average., The New Jersey Sierra Club is committed to working for Environmental Justice throughout the state. We want to thank Senator Booker for introducing this bill as it’s a major step forward for environmental justice issues.”