NEW JERSEY LCV APPLAUDS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND MURPHY ADMINISTRATION FOR LAWSUITS AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES

TRENTON – The following is a statement from Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, New Jersey LCV, regarding a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Attorney General, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Division of Consumer Affairs, against five oil and gas companies accused of misleading the public about their products and climate change.

“We applaud Attorney General, Matthew Platkin, and the Murphy Administration for taking enforcement action targeting contributors of climate change for the damage they have wrought across New Jersey. We cannot allow fossil fuel companies to continue to emit pollutants that impact the public health and safety of our communities. Damage from climate change, such as sea level rise and the urban heat island effect, are especially harmful to vulnerable communities of color where residents have nowhere to turn. The higher incidents of asthma, heart attacks, and cancer in overburdened communities can be linked to air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey LCV. “Fossil fuel companies profited billions selling a product they knew was causing climate change. They researched and documented the science, actively smothered it, and spent millions to promote misinformation about the role fossil fuels contribute to the climate crisis. We are hopeful New Jersey will consider the environmental, economic, and public health impacts of climate change and say no to future fossil fuel projects, including the Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE), that will tie us to dirty energy infrastructure for decades to come. A clean energy future will keep New Jersey livable for us, our children, and our grandchildren, and we thank Governor Murphy and Attorney General Platkin for leading the charge.”

The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to elect environmental champions, hold public officials accountable, and support laws that protect our environment and improve the quality of people’s lives.