New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law as a Potential National Model

How New Environmental Justice Law Sets Stage for Sweeping Nationwide Changes

A pioneering environmental justice law, which may serve as a framework for a national drive for environmental justice, will be the topic of an online panel discussion on Thursday, Sept. 2, from 10 a.m. to noon ET. The event is open to professionals in the field as well as the public.

The key aim of environmental justice is to ensure that everyone–regardless of race, income, or place of origin–benefits from an equal degree of protection from environmental hazards and that everyone has input into how those regulatory protections are developed.

Read the Full Press Release on the ESI Website. 

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About

Environmental Justice (EJ) is hardly a new term. It refers to the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of their socio-economic conditions with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws. While first championed by Dr. Robert Bullard decades ago and furthered by dedicated community leaders around the world over the years, few could argue that this past year has been one of the most transformational periods in the history of EJ. Last fall New Jersey passed the most comprehensive EJ law in history. Since that time, other states have followed suit and made changes to their EJ programs. These recent changes have caused many to have questions.

Our panel discussion gathers some of the national leaders on the topic and addresses fundamental questions: How did we get here? What is currently being proposed by states and the EPA? Where do we see the EJ landscape in five to ten years? Can the New Jersey Model work nationally? What does EJ mean for my business?

Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be submitted in writing to NAEP. Please email [email protected] with your request.

Moderator

Chris Whitehead, Enviro-Sciences (of Delaware), Inc.

Speakers

Troy Singleton 
New Jersey State Senator and Bill Sponsor 

Senator Troy Singleton has devoted his life to public service in government, political, and policy posts at all levels. In 2011, he was elected to his first term in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing the over 220,000 residents of the 7th Legislative District. Senator Singleton was elected to the New Jersey State Senate in November 2017 and currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Economic Growth Committee, and as a member of the Senate Budget Committee and Judiciary Committee.

During his time in the legislature, Senator Singleton had a significant number of proposals signed into law and has received numerous awards for his public service and legislative acumen from business, education civic, labor and non-profit organizations.

Senator Singleton is currently employed as the President of Realogy Insurance Agency. Along with this busy career, Senator Singleton is a devoted husband and father of three who has long included personal involvement in his community as an essential component of his life.

Shawn LaTourette, Commissioner
NJDEP 

Appointed by Governor Philip D. Murphy, Shawn M. LaTourette became New Jersey’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection on June 14, 2021. He had served as Acting Commissioner since January 16, 2021. Commissioner LaTourette is responsible for formulating statewide environmental policy while directing programs that protect public health and ensure the quality of New Jersey’s air, land, water, and natural and historic resources.

A lawyer and policymaker with more than 20 years of experience in environmental protection, Commissioner LaTourette began his career defending victims of toxic exposure, including organizing and advocating for the needs of vulnerable New Jersey communities whose drinking water was contaminated by petrochemicals. Throughout a career shaping environmental law and policy, he has served in executive roles and as a trusted adviser to governments, community and non-profit organizations, and leaders in industry and infrastructure, while also litigating high-stakes lawsuits involving environmental, energy, and public health concerns.

Matthew Tejada, Director 
EPA Office of EJ

Mathew Tejada is the director of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ), where he is responsible for all the aspects of work of the Office of Environmental Justice within EPA and the EJ Program more generally throughout the Agency and across the federal family. OEJ also has external aspects, such as direct community engagement, outreach and communication, and management of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (NEJAC), of which he serves as the Designated Federal Official. OEJ encourages external partnerships with other federal, state, local and tribal agencies in support of community initiatives. OEJ also supports and manages the work of the EJ Inter-Agency Working Group and is instrumental in the planning and implementation of EPA’s environmental justice strategy, the EJ 2020 Action Agenda. In essence, OEJ supports the efforts of communities to address environmental justice challenges across the country through direct support, intervention, partnering, and elevation of the community voice.

Sara Colangelo, Director
Environmental Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law Center

Sara Colangelo is the Director of the Environmental Law & Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law where she teaches multiple courses in environmental law. She also served as the Director of the Law Center’s Environmental Law & Policy Program for 6 years prior to her current role. Professor Colangelo’s areas of specialty are environmental litigation and enforcement, including community considerations in the enforcement process: She speaks at conferences, appears in the media, and provides Congressional testimony on these topics.

Before returning to Georgetown Law, her alma matter, Professor Colangelo served as a trial attorney for the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division at US DOJ for 8 years. She joined the Division through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. At DOJ Professor Colangelo managed complex civil environmental enforcement cases for pollution control and cleanup of hazardous waste sites to negotiated or litigated resolution, appearing on behalf of the United States in trials across the country.