Environmental Advocates & Rep. Watson Coleman Call Out Trump EPA Budget Cuts, As New Analysis Shows Impact on the Delaware River Watershed
Press Release • 8/29/2017
TRENTON – With a deadline for Congress to approve a federal budget approaching by the end of next month, public officials, environmentalists, public health advocates and business organizations joined the call for full funding of EPA to protect the Delaware River watershed around the release of a new report detailing the success of the EPA and the impacts of the Trump Administration’s full-frontal budget cuts on EPA’s mission. The effort was part of a broader effort by the New Jersey environmental community to rally public support to support the mission of the EPA in the face of funding and regulatory rollbacks.
“Rough Waters Ahead: The Impact of the Trump Administration’s EPA Budget Cuts on the Delaware River Basin," issued today by Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center, examined the impacts of the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts to EPA water programs on the Delaware River watershed. More specifically, the report found that the EPA has jurisdiction for more than 1,000 pollution permits in the lower Delaware, the proposed Trump budget would slash enforcement by more than 25%, had to take over the clean-ups for 4 Superfund sites in the watershed and millions of dollars of funding to reduce water pollution is still up in the air.
Gopal, Houghtaling, Downey Earn New Jersey LCV's Endorsement
Press Release • 8/28/2017
OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ — New Jersey League of Conservation Voters endorsed the Democratic slate in New Jersey’s 11th Legislative District: Vin Gopal for State Senate, and Assembly members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey.
“As an organization whose mission is to support candidates and legislators who champion the environment, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters is proud to endorse Vin Gopal for state Senate, and his running mates, Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and Assemblywoman Joann Downey for re-election,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of NJLCV. “Gopal demonstrates the leadership we need to maintain the health and safety of our ocean, expand beach access and preserve open spaces. Houghtaling and Downey, in their first term in the Legislature, have supported environmental safeguards and shown that they will stand up for clean water and air. With Gopal, Houghtaling, and Downey representing the 11th District, families and businesses would gain a consistent voice for the environment that will benefit all New Jerseyans.”
Republican, Democratic Lawmakers Join NJ Enviro Groups to Demand Protection for EPA Funding
Press Release • 8/17/2017
MANTOLOKING, NJ – Federal, state and local elected officials joined New Jersey environmental leaders and concerned citizens today at the base of a bridge destroyed by Superstorm Sandy to oppose proposed cuts to the budgets of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department that would cause deep and lasting harm to our water, air, and land. Speaking with one voice, lawmakers from both parties called on the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to reject the FY18 budget unless it contains full and fair funding for the agencies that protect our health and environment.
The press conference was attended by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6), Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Stephen Reid, other local officials representing Ocean County, and a dozen state and regional environmental groups, all of whom said that if the proposed budget cuts are allowed to stand, there will be no funding to monitor our beaches for bacteria, or to protect our coast from increasingly frequent and violent storms. The cuts also would limit the EPA’s ability to clean up properly after an oil or chemical spill.
Proponent of 100% Clean Energy Chooses Environmental Steward as Running Mate
Press Release • 7/26/2017
Kelly Mooij, political chair of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Board, issued the following statement on the selection of Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor:
“Phil Murphy chose an environmental steward in Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, who joins the Democratic gubernatorial ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor. Like Murphy, the former Assembly speaker from Essex County is a strong supporter of environmental protections and is prepared to lead New Jersey on key environmental issues like clean energy, climate change, and removing lead in drinking water. Oliver and Murphy both support the carbon reduction goals outlined in the Paris agreement and both have condemned President Trump’s withdrawal from the pact. Further, the ticket supports New Jersey joining the Climate Alliance, which will strive to meet the Paris goals, and both support rejoining New Jersey into the regional greenhouse gas reduction pact known as RGGI.”
Environmental Policy Expert Joins New Jersey LCV for Governor’s Race
Press Release • 7/17/2017
The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Education Fund is pleased to announce the addition of a former federal environmental protection official to its Green in ’17 team.
Lisa J. Plevin, former chief of staff for Region 2 of the US Environmental Protection Agency, will lead the environmental group’s transition planning initiative to help New Jersey’s next gubernatorial administration identify short- and long-term environmental priorities to re-establish New Jersey as an environmental leader.
Green in ’17 is an education campaign whose goal is to elevate discussion of key environmental issues in the gubernatorial election. One measure of the program’s success came on May 9, when 40% of the questions asked of Democratic candidates participating in the first gubernatorial debate were about environmental issues such as climate change and off-shore drilling, as were 20% of the questions asked of the Republican candidates.
Another Victim of Christie’s Final Budget: Communities Recovering from Pollution
Press Release • 7/5/2017
TRENTON - Statement from New Jersey League of Conservation Voters on the governor’s line-item veto of Natural Resource Damages monies in the FY18 budget announced Wednesday:
“For the third straight year, Gov. Christie is attempting to rob communities sullied by industrial pollution of hundreds of millions of dollars meant to facilitate their recovery from toxins contaminating their groundwater and streams,” said New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak.
NJLCV Joins LoBiondo to Oppose Offshore Blasting, Drilling
Press Release • 6/20/2017
AVALON – New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak joined Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2) and other advocates on Monday to voice opposition to renewed federal efforts to open up the waters off the New Jersey coast to oil and gas exploration.
Green Group Helps Clean Energy Champion to Victory in NJ Democratic Primary
Press Release • 6/7/2017
TRENTON – The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (NJLCV), the leading political voice for the environment in the state, celebrated Tuesday’s nomination of Phil Murphy, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate endorsed by the green group.
NJLCV was the first statewide environmental organization to endorse Murphy, in February, citing his ambitious vision for a clean energy future and his ability to make New Jersey a national leader on environmental issues once again. The league’s Super PAC, the NJLCV Victory Fund, drew attention for spending $130,000 on a digital and mail campaign highlighting Murphy’s environmental credentials in the two weeks leading up to June 6, among the few Super PACs to spend significantly before the primary.
Statement from NJLCV on Decision to Pull U.S. from Paris Agreement
Press Release • 6/1/2017
“By withdrawing from the agreement to reduce the toxic emissions that are causing the Earth to warm, President Trump has made the U.S. an outlier like Syria, the other nation opposed to the Paris accord,” said Ed Potosnak, executive director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, a group dedicated to natural resources protection. “The President’s colossal mistake makes it more important than ever to ensure that New Jersey has a governor and a Legislature committed to establishing a clean energy future by creating green jobs and transitioning to a clean energy economy.”
NJLCV Victory Fund Launches $130K Campaign to Support Phil Murphy in Primary
Press Release • 5/24/2017
The New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund today announced plans to spend $130,000 between now and June 6 to help candidate Phil Murphy win the Democratic Gubernatorial Primary.
The money will be spent on digital ads and a targeted mail campaign highlighting Phil Murphy’s bold plans to: make sure our drinking water is clean and safe for New Jersey families; strengthen the economy by creating green jobs in New Jersey’s expanding solar, wind and clean energy industries; and hold corporate polluters accountable, and make them clean up the messes they have made.