Murphy must take a stand for environmental justice | Editorial

Gov. Phil Murphy’s lukewarm approach is not getting the job done for those seeking environmental justice, for those in lower-income and minority communities in Upper Ringwood, Kearny, and other New Jersey towns where the fight against the worst scourges of environmental abuse and neglect has been ongoing for decades.

The governor did manage to step in and speak up against the terrible idea that was the gas-fired power plant proposed for North Bergen, another “environmental justice” community – but only after 18 months of waffling and hand-wringing, and only after a barrage of negative attention, pressure from environmental groups, and outspoken opposition from public officials of nearby towns.

Unlike former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who spoke out with passion on pollution and climate change, and then backed up that political speech with clear-cut policy, or action, Murphy has been a slow-walk on too many environmental issues facing the state, and on too many crises facing its most vulnerable citizens.

While there can be no question that Murphy is an upgrade over his predecessor, Chris Christie, when it comes to the environmental policy, including pushing for renewable energy and a more sustainable future, he has lacked a true fight for the cause of environmental justice.

This, in spite of signing an executive order in April 2018, which pledged to bring "fair and equitable treatment" to these communities suffering from environmental injustice. Indeed, at the time of the signing of the order Murphy stated:

“All of our residents regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion deserve to live in communities free from the effects of pollution and are entitled to participate in decision-making that affects their environment, their communities, their homes and their health.”

Community and environmental advocates have rightly accused Murphy for lacking in follow-through, noting that when push comes to shove on harder, specific pollution issues affecting people’s lives in specific towns, he too often rushes for the nearest exit.

Case in point is the dispute over the noxious, state-owned Keegan Landfill in Kearny, which clearly needs to be closed for the general health and well-being of residents nearby. As a state judge noted in September in ordering Keegan’s closure, the landfill represents a “clear and present danger” due to high levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air.

Furthermore, as NorthJersey.com Environmental Writer Scott Fallon reported, Kearny, which is 60% minority, is already over-burdened with 144 contaminated sites. For too long, its residents have suffered the worst effects from decades of heavy industry, pollution and toxic gases. Earlier this year, the fumes were so intense that coaches canceled soccer matches at an adjacent field and teachers kept windows shut at a nearby elementary school.

Yet instead of standing with these residents, Murphy has sided with the powerful New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which operates the landfill, and which is challenging the order to close it.

Why? Well, perhaps because Keegan Landfill, despite being a health hazard to families and children in the neighborhood, and a threat to the natural environs of the Meadowlands, is also a profitable venture for the sports authority. The landfill is one of the agency's biggest sources of revenue, bringing in more than $17 million in tipping fees last year. 

As NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey reported, the Keegan Landfill is just one of several cases where the governor is not standing up for those at risk, for the very people in those environmental justice communities he once vowed to protect.

Murphy should either start showing some backbone, and fighting for these residents, or he should come clean and admit that he is not the environmental champion he claims, and his order is not worth the paper it’s printed on.

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