WEC in the News

Thanks to the work of Healthy Schools Now, New Jersey Education Association, Mom's Clean Airforce and WEC, US Senator Cory Booker is calling for an investigation into potentially hazardous emissions from flooring that has been widely installed in public spaces across the country since the 1960s. Some synthetic rubberized floors found in schools, hospitals, and community centers were made using a substance, phenyl mercuric acetate (PMA), that may release mercury vapor into the air as they deteriorate. This colorless, odorless vapor can damage the central nervous system, kidneys, lungs, skin and eyes and is especially harmful to young children and fetuses whose bodies are still developing. Studies show that children with autism have an even harder time excreting toxic metals, further increasing the health risk. Recently, several of these contaminated floors were identified in Gloucester County and are being removed and replaced this summer. It is currently unknown as to how many of these floors exist and how many people are being exposed. "Too many schools in New Jersey have rubberized floors that may contain mercury, potentially exposing school staff and children to this neurotoxin,” said Heather L. Sorge, Campaign Organizer for Healthy Schools Now, New Jersey Work Environment Council. [...]

Bravo New Jersey for leading the nation in offshore wind development. Today the Board of Public Utilities announced the winner of the country's largest offshore wind project. Orsted will be building the 1,100MW project, called OceanWind, which will bring clean energy to approximately 500,000 homes. Thank you to Governor Murphy for his vision and commitment to clean energy. Offshore wind development has obvious clean energy benefits and also promises to bring good, family-sustaining jobs to the state. These are skilled, well-paying jobs include construction, maintenance, operations, ports, and supply chain, more than 74 occupations in total, that cannot be outsourced. With this announcement today, and an aggressive solicitation schedule for the next 2,400 MW, New Jersey is well positioned to become a regional offshore wind clean energy and economic powerhouse.

The threat of a catastrophic chemical release remains a major vulnerability for New Jersey.  Every year, chemical releases, fires, and explosions claim lives and threaten residents’ health across the nation.  New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, nestled between New York City and Philadelphia, and has one of the highest ratios of toxic facilities per square mile in the nation. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities have been reported from the chlorine fire at the Alden Leeds facility in South Kearny. Alden leads manufactures pool chemicals including chlorine tablets. The Pulaski Skyway was shut down in both directions and residents as far away as Staten Island were alerted to stay inside. The core of WEC's work is to advocate for stronger state and national chemical security policies such as switching to safer alternatives and implementing inherently safer technologies as a way to eliminate or reduce the hazard from toxic chemicals.

Internet giant Amazon was urged by a worker advocacy group weeks ago to give workplace safety its urgent attention. After a bear spray can fell off a shelf and discharged at an Amazon warehouse in Robbinsville, sending two dozen workers to the hospital, The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health said the company needs to do a better job moving products without hurting people. "Amazon needs to invest in safety and do better by their workers," said said Debra Coyle McFadden, executive director of the NJ Work Environment Council, a group that advocates for workplace safety. Read the full story on Asbury Park Press.

The New Jersey Senate Transportation Committee approved an oil train transparency bill on Monday, reviving an effort that had been stymied by former Gov. Chris Christie. The legislation, S-1883, would require railroads to develop oil spill response plans in case of a derailment. The bill, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, would also require more transparency from railroads about their shipment of flammable liquids through the state. The states surrounding New Jersey have made the routes and estimated volumes of oil train traffic publicly accessible when compelled by public information requests from news organizations. Effectively, the public already has the information railroads want to shield. "There has been precedent for releasing this information," said Debra Coyle McFadden, assistant director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council. Read the full story on NorthJersey.com.  

Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia joined the mayors of Jersey City, Montclair, Newark, Passaic, Morristown, and Plainfield, to call for statewide legislative action to extend coverage to all New Jersey workers; Each of these municipalities have earned sick day policies in place. "Ensuring that all workers in New Jersey have access to earned sick days is a common sense policy to guarantee working families have options when a breadwinner needs time to recover from an illness or injury; allowing workers time off to recover while sick also protects the rest of us by keeping germs out of the workplace," said Dan Fatton, executive director for New Jersey Work Environment Council. Read the full story on TAP into Bloomfield.

Two-thirds of low-income school districts in New Jersey don't have adequate space to serve their students, according to a report by the NJ Department of Education (DOE). "The report makes clear the enormous unmet needs in the SDA districts, and the continued failure of the current administration to address overcrowding and educational adequacy," said Jerell Blakeley, campaign organizer with the NJ Work Environment Council and coordinator of the Healthy Schools Now campaign. Read/Listen to the full story on WNYC.

Climate change is happening in New Jersey, and some of its impacts are already occurring: warmer summers, more days of extreme rainfalls, and increased frequency and intensity of floods due to rising sea levels. Hoping to kick off a statewide dialogue to fashion a comprehensive strategy for climate-change policy, Rutgers University and the New Jersey Climate Adaption Alliance gathered thought leaders at Duke Farm yesterday to begin hashing out strategies to deal with global warming and its consequences. “It is beginning to affect public health here in New Jersey,’’ Fatton said, adding the most vulnerable populations are most at risk. Read the full story from NJ Spotlight.