Clean Water Action Applauds Governor Murphy on Signing of Environmental Justice (EJ) Executive Order

Trenton, NJ–Today, Governor Murphy signed an Executive Order (EO) on Environmental Justice (EJ). The EO directs the Department of Environmental (DEP) Protection to work with other state agencies and external stakeholders to develop guidance that will be used to incorporate environmental justice considerations in the actions of state agencies. The goal of this order is to ensure state agencies are considering the cumulative impacts of their actions in overburdened communities on an ongoing basis.

“The time for talking is past,” said Kim Gaddy, Environmental Justice Organizer for Clean Water Action. “This environmental justice  (EJ) executive order starts the process and the governor cannot move fast enough to adopt mandatory EJ measures across multiple agencies. We need to significantly reduce the cumulatively be pollution burdens and health impacts on New Jersey is most vulnerable-low income communities and communities of color.”

Low-income communities and communities of color in New Jersey and across the country bear the brunt of pollution and the impacts of climate change. Historically, polluting facilities have been built in or near African American communities, taking advantage of their lack of political power. Environmental justice touches a wide variety of issues related to quality of life, including housing, health, and transportation.

“As fourth generation Newarker who is raised three asthmatic children in its South Ward are literally are gasping for air,” said Gaddy. “I have lost family members to asthma. This is got to stop. Thank you Governor Murphy for taking the first steps to affirm your commitment to environmental justice.”

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Clean Water Action, founded in 1972, is a one million-member nationwide organization with more than 100,000 New Jersey members. We work to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. We fight for clean water; environmental justice, and environmentally safe jobs and businesses despite the hostile anti-environment climate in our nation’s capital. www.cleanwateraction.org/nj

ANNOUNCEMENT: Clean Water Action is hosting its 32^nd Annual Conference with Tammy Murphy as its keynote speaker on Saturday, April 28, 2018. For more details and a full agenda, visit https://www.cleanwater.org/conference2018