Trump Seeks to Cut Safety Agency with Roots in New Jersey
The devastating 1995 Napp Technologies explosion in the heart of Lodi killed five men, created a plume of toxic black smoke that lingered over the county for days -- and led to the creation of a federal board that spent the next two decades investigating more than 100 chemical industry accidents across the nation. Now, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is slated to be eliminated under the President Trump’s proposed budget, worrying supporters who say the board has helped improve safety nationwide. The Chemical Safety Board has a budget of $11 million, which supporters say is meager compared to the current [...]
New coalition aims to fight climate change in New Jersey under Trump
A new coalition of more than 30 environmental, labor, and community organizations is urging New Jersey lawmakers to do more about the threat of climate change and reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions. Dan Fatton, executive director of the Work Environment Council, said the coalition, called Jersey Renews, is a ray of hope in the era of President Donald Trump. As a candidate, Trump called climate change "a hoax invented by the Chinese" and in the early days of his administration, has implemented a temporary media "black out" at the Environmental Protection Agency and a freeze on new grants and [...]
NJTV: Concern Over Public’s Right to Access Emergency Response Plans
Dan Fatton, WEC executive director, appeared on NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams to discuss WEC's latest report, ACCESS DENIED. For the interview transcript, please click here. Several clarifications: As noted in the report, an estimated 12 million people live or work within the danger zones of NJ facilities; however, not all those people are NJ residents. EPCRA is the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, a 1986 federal law created to help communities plan for chemical emergencies. SERC is the State Emergency Response Commission. ACCESS DENIED REPORT
Remembering Bhopal: Importance of Chemical Safety
December 3 marks the 32nd anniversary of the Bhopal, India disaster: the world’s worst industrial accident. In the middle of the night, an accident at a Union Carbide plant released a toxic gas, methyl isocyanate. The impact on the surrounding community was immediate and deadly. Chaos ensued as people attempted to escape the lethal toxic cloud. Thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands of lives were forever changed. The effects from the toxic exposure included blindness, kidney and liver failure. Decades later, survivors and their offspring continue to experience health impacts from that deadly night. In response to [...]
New Jersey Refinery Concerns Echo Safety Issues in Texas
The Work Environment Council, and the local Teamsters union said they intend to sue the city of Linden because it will not disclose its emergency response plan. The public's right to information about chemical hazards and the plans that address them, mandated by Congress in 1986, has since been undermined by sweeping anti-terrorism laws enacted by states across the nation. See the article in the Houston Chronicle here.
Notice of intent given to file lawsuit against Linden
The New Jersey Work Environment Council, along with Teamsters Local 877, has put the city of Linden on notice, stating that they will file suit against the city on behalf of workers at the Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery and Watco Crude Rail Terminal, both located in Linden. The NJWEC and the Teamsters claim that Linden Mayor Derek Armstead has failed to provide the public with a current Emergency Response Plan in the event of a chemical fire, explosion, or toxic emergency. The NJWEC and the union said in a statement that Armstead is violating federal law that requires public access [...]