Newark Council Passes Law: Developers Must Inform City About ‘Environmental Impacts’

Newark, NJ – Newark city officials have passed what Mayor Ras Baraka is calling one of “New Jersey’s most progressive environmental justice ordinances.”

According to a Wednesday city news release, the Newark City Council passed legislation that requires developers requesting environmental permits to inform the municipality of any environmental impacts.

“This information is to be submitted to the city’s Environmental Commission along with the developer’s initial site-plan application so that the commission can advise the Central Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment and the public of any possible cumulative pollution impacts,” the news release stated.

According to city officials, the legislation directs the Newark Environmental Commission to establish a baseline for environmental conditions, and seeks to address the environmental injustices that have led to “unhealthy, concentrated levels of pollution in the region’s poorest communities, particularly in Black and Latino neighborhoods.”

The legislation was drafted and proposed to Newark officials in 2012 by the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and allied organizations, including local groups such as Ironbound Community Corporation, Clean Water Fund, and the Newark Environmental Commission.

“We hope to set a national precedent for urban revitalization that takes into account health impacts,” Baraka said. “This is an important step forward for environmental justice.”

According to city officials, typical urban pollution sources can include runoff water from buildings, streets and sidewalks, automobile tire wear and exhaust fumes and wind-blowing debris from roofs, road work, sidewalks and undeveloped areas.

City officials stated that Newark is subject to a concentrated amount of environmental pollution due to its dense transit network including a major airport and seaport, industrial uses, and waste and sewer treatment facilities.

“The city is home to the largest trash incinerator in the Northeast and the 2nd largest port in the nation with 7,000 trucks making an estimated 10,000 trips daily,” officials stated. “Additionally, school-age children in Newark have double the state and national average rate (25%) for asthma, resulting in missed school days and high medical bills.”

Sign up for Patch NJ email newsletters here.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: City of Newark Press Office