Bill sponsors and advocates praised the environmental justice bill that received final legislative approval on Thursday, but NJBIA’s Ray Cantor warned that the economic impact may wind up causing more problems than it solves.
As Michael Sol Warren writes for NJ.com, the measure requires the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to consider how projects seeking state permits for facilities such as power plants, incinerators and landfills would affect environmental and public health in already overburdened communities.
“We are disappointed that the Legislature passed a bill that will make New Jersey even less competitive in growing or keeping manufacturing jobs,” said Ray Cantor, the vice president of government affairs for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. “This bill will do little, if anything, to protect the environment but it may do a lot to kill good-paying jobs.”
Cantor had previously argued that the state would better serve overburdened communities by cleaning and redeveloping abandoned lots, and working towards reducing emissions from ports.
