Stop Environmental Racism, Pass S232/A2212 - July 2020
Why is it so important to pass S232 now without any changes? This bill begins to prevent future environmental injustices as well as right the injustices of the past. Communities Of Color and low income communities have been disproportionately poisoned by pollution for far too long, and are suffering more than other communities under the COVID pandemic. DEP does not currently have a policy in place to consider cumulative, disproportionate pollution or its public health effects when issuing permits for highly polluting facilities. This bill has been 12 years in the making. People of Color lives matter and we can’t afford more delay.
What does S232/A2212 do? It requires DEP to: 1) evaluate environmental and public health stressors in overburdened communities when reviewing permit applications for highly polluting facilities; and 2) approve, condition or deny a permit after meaningful consultation with the applicant and overburdened community.
Who supports the bill? The Senate passed it June 29th with bi-partisan support led by NJ Sens. Singleton, Weinberg and Ruiz. The Assembly bill has 16 sponsors led by Asm. McKeon. Gov. Murphy, US Sen. Booker, the NJ Urban Mayors Assoc. led by Mayors Kelly and Baraka, Lt. Gov. Oliver, DEP Commissioner McCabe, and NJ’s environmental justice and environmental communities all have publicly endorsed the bill.
What is an “overburdened community” as defined in the bill? Any census block (the smallest unit of analysis possible) where at least: 35% of households are low income; 40% of residents are Of Color; OR 40% percent of households have limited English proficiency. These thresholds are based on our NJ state averages and conforms with the definitions in other states like NY, CT, MN, and CA…
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