Ralph Nader News Hour with Rick Engler
Ralph Nader interviews Rick Engler, former U.S. Chemical Safety Board member and founder of WEC on the Trump Administrations proposal to abolish the Chemical Safety Board. Listen here.
Amid a slew of chemical accidents, the agency that investigates them is under threat
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with former member of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board Rick Engler about the current state of chemical safety following a string of incidents in the U.S. Read more here.
Federal Chemical Safety Board Sends Warning on Trump Disaster Policy
Story By Hiroko Tabuchi New York Times, May 14, 2026 For a year now, the Chemical Safety Board, a small independent federal agency that investigates chemical spills and other disasters has faced elimination under President Trump's budget cuts. That hasn't stopped the Board from taking on the Trump administration. Read more here.
Heat stress affects students AND staff — What to do?
Heat stress affects students AND staff By Dorothy Wigmore a long-time health and safety specialist and WEC consultant. She has worked in Canada, the U.S. and Mozambique, focusing on prevention and worker participation to fix job-related hazards. It’s hard to ignore the heat-related warnings about the climate emergency in New Jersey: The 2025 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change said the state “continues to warm faster than the rest of the Northeast region and the world.” In 2025, a 30-year analysis found that higher temperatures increase the odds of heat waves in the state, and they’re likely to get more frequent and intense, with less daily cooling. The state’s Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan includes protecting workers. Read the full article in the NJEA Review here. Below are additional resources that are not in the Review article. Resources California Department of Public Health, CDPH health guidance for schools on sports and strenuous activities during extreme heat: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/EPO/Pages/Extreme%20Heat%20Pages/extreme-heat-guidance-for-schools.aspx Center for Climate Integrity, Hotter days, higher costs. Crisis in America’s classrooms: https://coolingcrisis.org/ National Education Association, “It’s getting hot in here: Without air conditioning, students and staff suffer”: https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/its-getting-hot-here-without-air-conditioning-students-and-staff-suffer New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Air source heat pumps: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/air-source-heat-pumps New Jersey Education Association (2021), “Tackle harmful heat with ventilation [...]
Too hot, poor ventilation, overlooked: Newark’s East Ward students are learning in decades-old buildings
While Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s proposed budget does not add new money to the SDA, Maggie Garbarino, Sherrill’s deputy press secretary, said her administration will follow an existing funding schedule established in 2023 that will add $350 million for school construction projects that have already been started and an additional $50 million for emergency repairs in high-poverty districts this budget cycle. Read more here.
Health and Safety Protections Against Chemical Emergencies Eliminated and Weakened in New Trump EPA Proposal
Washington, D.C. — Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to delay, weaken, and dismantle key safeguards against chemical emergencies and disasters, while millions of people nationwide, including children, live daily in harm’s way near industrial chemical facilities. The latest Trump plan threatens the lives and safety of the over 177 million Americans who live in worst-case scenario zones near chemical facilities. The proposal increases the likelihood of chemical emergencies and disasters for workers, first responders, and children and families who live within a chemical danger zone, breaking the administration’s promises to “make America healthy.” Read More here.
A $10.5B school construction bond could help fix Newark’s old school buildings
A proposed $10.5 billion state school construction bond could unlock new funding for Newark Public Schools and other school districts in the state to address longstanding needs for new schools and urgent repairs. Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz introduced legislation Thursday that, if approved, would ask voters in November to authorize new state bonds for school construction, expansion, and renovation projects in high-poverty districts as well as others. Read more here.
Senate Majority Leader Ruiz Introduces Legislation to Fund Long-Over due School Facility Upgrades
To ensure every student and educator has access to a safe, supportive learning environment, Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz introduced legislation that would renew New Jersey’s commitment to repairing and replacing aging school buildings across the state. “This bill marks the start of a broader conversation about how we can modernize our public schools and provide students with an education that meets the demands of the 21st century. While this approach may be one path to address the issue, the need for action is clear,” said Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex/Hudson). “Inadequate funding for school facility upgrades has left students from one corner of the state to the other learning in outdated, crumbling buildings, some more than a century old. Year after year, leaky roofs, faulty heating and ventilation, mold, overcrowding, and a lack of air conditioning disrupt valuable classroom time and jeopardize students’ health, safety, and academic growth. Schools dating back to the time of Abraham Lincoln lack the infrastructure necessary to support a modern-day curriculum for today’s students and educators.” Read more here.
EPA issues new rules to prevent chemical disasters; DEP to strengthen its legal safeguards
New Jersey will be upgrading its state chemical safety regulation to implement the new, stronger federal protections against chemical releases, fires and explosions. The news comes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implemented a new national rule on March 1, Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection implements and enforces the federal rules and must adopt the new EPA rules, known as the “Risk Management Program,” if stronger than existing state law. Read the full story on ROI here.
US EPA ISSUES NEW RULES TO PREVENT CHEMICAL DISASTERS: NEW JERSEY TO STRENGTHEN ITS LEGAL SAFEGUARDS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new national rule, Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention, issued on March 1, 2024, will lead to New Jersey upgrading its own state chemical safety regulation to implement the new, stronger federal protections against chemical releases, fires, and explosions. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) implements and enforces the federal rules and must adopt the new EPA rules, known as the “Risk Management Program” (or RMP), if stronger than existing state law. The rules cover approximately 90 New Jersey facilities across the state that use extraordinarily hazardous substances above specified quantities. Read the full story on Insider NJ here.