Singleton Statement on Trump Administration's Reversal on Environmental Justice
TRENTON – Senator Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), the Senate Majority Caucus Chair and Chair of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, as well as the sponsor of New Jersey’s landmark Environmental Justice Law in 2020, issued the following statement today on the Trump Administration’s reversal of federal environmental justice policies:
“Every American – regardless of their zip code, income, or race – deserves to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a community that is safe for them and their families. Unfortunately, decades of decisions in the siting of industrial facilities, highways, and other sources of pollution have made certain communities, which are more often than not inhabited primarily by Black, Latino, and low-income Americans, more polluted than others. The previous administration took significant steps to recognize the impact of these historical decisions and work to ensure that new actions do not further add to that burden.
“I wholeheartedly condemn the actions taken by the Trump Administration to reverse federal policies that considered the siting of new sources of pollution when undertaking environmental reviews. To make matters worse, these actions do not just reverse policies from the previous administration, but also reverse policy that has been in place for decades to address the health impacts of pollution on low-income and minority communities.
“I authored and championed New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law to ensure that the most overburdened communities are not further harmed by new sources of pollution and that they receive the environmental benefits that they need to begin to undo the damage caused by decades of discrimination. Thankfully, we will continue to enforce this law here in New Jersey and protect our most vulnerable residents irrespective of federal policy.”