Environmental justice rules still not set, more than two years since law enacted

By Raven Santana, Correspondent | February 24, 2023 | Energy & Environment

Law was signed by Gov. Murphy on Sept. 18, 2020.

New Jersey’s landmark environmental justice law is frequently held up by Gov. Phil Murphy as one of his most important accomplishments. The law is meant to bring new, strong protections to vulnerable communities against the development of new polluting facilities in their backyards. But more than two years have passed since that law was enacted, and the actual rules that will guide its enforcement still have not been set. Maria Lopez-Nunez, deputy director of the Ironbound Community Corp. and a prominent environmental-justice advocate, explains what impact the wait for these rules has had.