New Jersey will vote on an important public question about our environment this November 7.
Bayway oil refinery, Linden – waterways surrounding the heavy industry of northern New Jersey are in need of remediation
The NJ Legislature proposed a constitutional amendment that will dedicate money from environmental contamination cases to natural resource restoration in what is commonly referred to as a “lockbox measure.” If approved, any money from environmental contamination cases will only be used to repair, replace and restore damaged natural resources, preserve healthy resources, and pay legal costs of environmental contamination claims.
Your question this election day:
“Do you approve amending the Constitution to dedicate all moneys collected by the State relating to natural resource damages in cases of contamination of the environment? The moneys would have to be used to repair, restore, replace, or preserve the State’s natural resources. The moneys may also be used to pay legal or other costs incurred by the State in pursuing its claims.”
Interpretative statement:
This amendment would dedicate moneys collected by the state relating to Natural Resource Damages through settlements or awards for legal claims based on environmental contamination. These moneys would be dedicated to repair, replace, or restore damaged natural resources, or to preserve the state’s natural resources. The moneys would be spent in an area as close as possible to the geographical area in which the damage occurred. The moneys could also be used to pay for the state’s legal or other costs in pursuing the claims. Currently, these moneys may be used for any state purpose.”
You might find yourself wondering, what is a “lockbox measure”?
Simply put, a lockbox measure requires that money contributed for a certain purpose must be used in that specific area as well. This is a preventative measure to keep specifically allocated moneys from being used for general operating costs. (Source: Ballotopedia.org)
Why are we asking this question?
This amendment was proposed as a result of the public outcry following Gov. Chris Christie’s use of polluter settlement funds to plug holes in the state budget. Many people thought that these funds should have been used to repair our state’s environmental problems. As many New Jerseyans know, the state of our northern polluted wetlands, particularly in along the lower Passaic River, has remained stagnant for decades. The lower Passaic is heavily inundated with dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (TCCDs), heavy metals, and pesticides due to years of industrial manufacturing depositing toxic waste directly into the river. Far from being over, the Passaic River’s pollution issues made the news again in recent years as only $50 million of the $355 million in settlement costs were allocated to the clean-up of the river.
Stay informed, and come out to vote, New Jersey!
For further reading about this measure, see the Ballotopedia.org article for resources and news.