Trenton Hearing Set for Thursday, 12/12 at 10:30 AM EST
MEDIA CONTACTS:
- Clean Water Action: Marta Young, myoung@cleanwater.org
- Environment New Jersey: Doug O’Malley, domalley@environmentnewjersey.org
- New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance: Brooke Helmick, brooke@njeja.org
- Clean Ocean Action: Cindy Zipf, zipf@cleanoceanaction.org
- Just Zero: Peter Blair, pblair@just-zero.org
WHAT: Leaders from New Jersey environmental and environmental justice organizations as well as health professions will hold a zoom news conference to discuss the need for New Jersey to move forward with legislation that addresses the plastics crisis through producer responsibility. This zoom news conference will address NJ Senate Bill S.3398, sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith, which is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee this Thursday, 12/12 at 10:00 a.m. in Trenton.
The news conference will underscore the environmental justice, community, and public health impacts of plastics and highlight the urgency of the issue as well as the role that producer responsibility legislation can play in addressing this crisis.
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom
WHO: Speakers will include environmental and environmental justice advocates as well as health professionals:
- Doug O’Malley, Environment New Jersey
- Peter Blair, Just Zero
- Marta Young, Clean Water Action
- Dr. Walter Wynkoop, New Jersey Pulmonologist
- Brooke Helmick, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
- Brian Thompson, Monmouth Beach Environmental Commissioner and Member, Beyond Plastics National Advisory Board
- Dr. Phoebe Stapleton, Rutgers University
WHY: The plastics crisis represents an ever growing threat not just to our planet, but to our communities and our bodies. While individual action plays a role in decreasing our reliance on plastics, corporations must also take an active responsibility in decreasing the amount of plastic packaging. The legislation pending before the New Jersey Senate Energy and Environment Committee will facilitate this process of accountability and transparency, and set much needed standards for plastic reduction which benefits persons across New Jersey.
Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. Learn more at www.cleanwater.org.