By Jersey Journal guest columnist Jeff Tittel
2020 has been the year that everyone can’t wait to be over. This year, we saw things that have never happened before or haven’t happened in over 100 years. In spite of the coronavirus, we had many environmental accomplishments at the state, local, and national level. The pandemic brought about a different kind of activism as public meetings were replaced by Zoom and conference calls. We saw hundreds of people speak out at virtual meetings like NJ Transit and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. However, we also had many disappointments this year, which shows that we still have a lot of work to do.
We’ve seen tremendous environmental impacts this year, whether from air pollution and COVID-19 or sea-level rise and climate impacts. Last year was the warmest winter on record, and this July was the hottest in New Jersey’s history. We are seeing impacts from climate change on a regular basis. Air pollution has continued to impact communities in the state, especially overburdened and Environmental Justice communities, and water pollution and rising temperatures have led to algal blooms closing our biggest lakes.
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Despite these challenges, we have had some progress. Some fossil fuel projects have been canceled and we’re moving forward with renewable energy like offshore wind.
Gov. Murphy signed landmark Environmental Justice legislation this year that will go a long way to protecting overburdened communities from new polluting facilities. He also signed the strongest plastic bag ban in the nation. NJ Transit stopped their Meadowlands power plant in order to review renewable energy alternatives, but they’ve set up a process that favors natural gas over renewable energy. Elcon, a hazardous waste facility across the river from Trenton, finally gave up because of public pressure. The state Department of Environmental Protection finally denied the Northeast Supply Enhancement project because New York turned the project down for lack of need.
Despite the climate urgency, there are still several damaging projects moving forward in New Jersey.
