SECURING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
What is Environmental Justice?
Environmental justice embodies the principle that particular communities and populations should not be disproportionately exposed to adverse environmental impacts. In New Jersey, everyone, no matter how much money they make or where they come from, should be able to enjoy living, working, and having fun in a clean and safe environment. But poorer neighborhoods often deal with the legacy of having more pollution and health problems compared to wealthier places. More people of color live in these neighborhoods that have a history of pollution, compared to whiter, wealthier areas.
Begun under the Murphy Administration in 2018, this initiative of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) specifically targets environmental law enforcement affecting communities of color, low-income communities, low-English-proficiency communities, and those subject to cumulative environmental stressors (“overburdened communities”). Our environmental enforcement efforts continue in all communities across the state.
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New Jersey Environmental Justice Lawsuit Map
The Attorney General and DEP have filed more than 60 environmental justice lawsuits in overburdened communities all over the state since 2018. Click on this map to find information about cases near you, including when each case was filed, a link to the press release and court complaint, what kind of environmental problem was at stake, and whether the case has been resolved yet.
New Jersey Environmental Justice Lawsuit Highlights
Our environmental justice lawsuits are designed to compel polluters to clean up our air, soil, and water in overburdened communities and to compensate the state for its enforcement work. So far we have filed 68 lawsuits and collected over $31 million in penalties and past costs. We’re proud of our results, some of which are explained here.
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Blueberry Bill Farms
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M.J. & Sons
Environmental Justice News
Man Sentenced for Illegally Dumping Huge Quantities of Solid Waste Material at Public Sites Under Highways in Newark
TRENTON - Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a man was sentenced today for illegally dumping huge quantities of solid waste from his rubbish removal business at unauthorized sites underneath highways in Newark, N.J.Abdullah S. Bryant, 41, of Newark,...
AG Grewal Joins Petition Challenging Trump Administration Rules Gutting Safety Protections for Chemical Accidents
TRENTON -- Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal yesterday joined a coalition of fifteen attorneys general asking a federal appeals court to overturn the federal government’s recent rollback of key regulations that protect communities from plant explosions,...
Resources
NJ Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Program home
All New Jersey residents, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, have a right to live, work, and recreate in a clean and healthy environment. Historically, New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color face a disproportionately high number of environmental and public health stressors and, as a result, suffer from increased adverse health effects. New Jersey seeks to correct these outcomes by furthering the promise of environmental justice.
NJ Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Mapping, Assessment, and Protection Tool
EJMAP depicts each 50th percentile value for each individual stressors in the OBC and its point of comparison for both the State and relevant county. If the 50th percentile value for an individual stressor is higher than the lesser of the State or county point of comparison for that same stressor, the stressor is considered “adverse”.
NJ Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Contact Information
Did you know OEJ has a newsletter? Enter your email to stay up-to-date with environmental justice opportunities and additional resources.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Home
“Environmental justice” means the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or disability, in agency decision-making and other Federal activities that affect human health and the environment
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EJScreen: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool
In order to better meet the Agency’s responsibilities related to the protection of public health and the environment, EPA has developed a new environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool called EJScreen. It is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports. Learn more about Environmental Justice at EPA.