FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

3/4/2022

Trenton, NJ – The Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign announced the addition of more than 50 endorsing organizations, individuals and elected officials.  The endorsing organizations and individuals represent a diverse coalition including labor, business, and community organizations.

“Clean water is so fundamentally important to New Jersey’s economy, quality of life, and the health of our families,” said State Senator Bob Smith (D-Piscataway) who is among the new endorsing members of the campaign.  “That is why I am proud to endorse the Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign’s goal of calling for the use of American Rescue Plan funding to expand investment in clean water infrastructure,” he continued.

New Jersey faces a clean water funding gap of roughly $6 billion over five years for lead service line removal, upgrades to combined sewer systems, and improvements to other stormwater infrastructure to handle additional capacity.  While much progress has been made, without additional funding this year, New Jersey may fall further behind.  The Campaign is calling on the Murphy Administration and the New Jersey State Legislature to take advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to commit an additional $1.2 billion from remaining American Rescue Plan funding to bolster other funding sources.

“The Murphy Administration has rightly taken action on issues such as lead service line replacement, but the scale of the problem is significant,” said Kristin Epstein, Assistant Director of Trenton Water Works.  “We need to balance the need to improve water infrastructure with affordability.  Additional federal funding from New Jersey’s pot of American Rescue Plan dollars will help reduce costs to municipalities and ratepayers, while making these absolutely essential upgrades,” continued Epstein.

New Jersey has roughly $3 billion left in American Rescue Plan funding.  The Biden Administration is encouraging the use of these funds for water infrastructure projects.

“When hardworking families are sitting around the kitchen table a lot of times they’re talking about affordability and good jobs,” said Anthony Abrantes of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.  “Expanded investment in clean water not only protects their health, but also creates good paying jobs and makes a commitment to a more affordable future for all New Jerseyeans.”

New Jersey faces a multitude of water infrastructure challenges.  In communities with combined sewer systems, increasingly extreme weather has resulted in raw sewage backing up into streets, homes and businesses, lead services lines have endangered the health of children and families throughout the state, and aging stormwater infrastructure has led to more destructive flooding in communities.

“New Jersey has an opportunity to light the way for the rest of the nation on clean water,” said Amy Goldsmith, NJ State Director of Clean Water Action.  “This is a solvable problem. If we don’t act now, we’re going to miss out on an opportunity that may never come around again. This is especially true for low income and communities of color that have experienced water pollution harms and inadequate infrastructure for generations. Clean water must be a right for all, not a privilege for some,” she continued.

“If we do not take this opportunity, then we’re looking at a much more costly scenario in terms of raw dollars, health impacts and quality of life in the not-so-distant future,” said Mo Kinberg, co-chair of Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs.  “That’s why we have a historic coalition of individuals and organizations calling for the same thing–expanded investment in water infrastructure now.”

A list of endorsing members can be found here: 

Amy Goldsmith, Clean Water Action

Mayor Andre Sayegh, City of Paterson

Anthony Abrantes, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters

Bill Armbruster, Journal Square Community Association’s Green Committee

Bill Schultz, Raritan Riverkeeper

Bob Smith, NJ State Senate

Brenda Swinney, Garfield Ave Block Association

Bruno Figueiredo

Caroline Koch, WaterNow Alliance

Crystal Wessel, New Jersey Tree Foundation

David Smith, Trenton Water Works

Deandrah Cameron, New Jersey Future

Debra Italiano, Sustainable Jersey City

Elliott Ruga, New Jersey Highlands Coalition

Fallon Davis, STEAM URBAN

Future City Inc.

Frances Harrison, Paterson Green Team

Gail Rottenstrich, Borough Councilmember, Borough of Fair Lawn

Greg Remaud, NY/NJ Baykeeper

Heather Fenyk, Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership

Howard Levsion, South Orange Village Water Utility

James McGroarty, Clyde N Lattimer & Son Construction Company, Inc

Jamie Bruno, Urban Agriculture Cooperative

Jane Kenny, The Whitman Strategy Group

Jennifer Adkins, American Rivers

Jill Pustorino, Morris Park Neighborhood Association

Jocelyn Patrick, Riverview Neighborhood Association

John Algera, Urban Wilderness Renewal

Jose Amarante, Perth Amboy

Joseph Maraziti

Klaus Buschan, Friends of Weequahic Park

Kristin Epstein, Trenton Water Works

Laurie Howard, Passaic River Coalition

Louis Prezeau, La Casa Don Pedro

Lucia Ruggiero, American Littoral Society

Martha Arencibia, Paterson Green Team

Michele Langa, Hackensack Riverkeeper

Missy Frankil

Moriah Kinberg, Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers

NANCY GRIER, Neighborhood Assistance Office

NewarkDIG (Doing Infrastructure Green)

Newark Green Team

Noelle Thurlow, Resilience Adventures

Pam Mount, Terhune Orchards

Patricia Lindsay-Harvey, Willingboro Community Development Corporation

Richard Lawton, New Jersey Sustainable Business Council

Robert Maybury, Mount Holly Municipal Utilities Authority

Sabrina Ross, Unified Vailsburg Services Organization

Shaquille Fearon

Sheila Baker Gujral, Association of NJ Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)

Steve Kehayes, Paterson Habitat for Humanity

Taylor Kenerson, Connecting U

Theresa Bocchino

Tim Dillingham, American Littoral Society

Tobias Fox, Newark Science and Sustainability Inc

Troy Benavidez, American Standard/LIXIL

Vera Figueiredo, Solar One

William Kibler, Raritan Headwaters

Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds, Weequahic Park Association