PRINCETON, NJ — Sen. Andrew Zwicker joined Princeton students and climate activists at Firestone Plaza Wednesday evening to rally behind legislation that would require the world's largest fossil fuel companies to pay $50 billion over 20 years for flood protection, infrastructure and disaster response in New Jersey.
The gathering marked day six of a 50-mile march from Newark to Trenton in support of the Polluters Pay Act (S2338/A3735). On Thursday, marchers will complete the final leg of the journey, stepping off from the Trenton Battle Monument at 11:45 a.m. before arriving at the State House Annex courtyard for a noon rally with state legislators, faith leaders, extreme weather survivors and coalition partners.
Assemblymembers Alixon Collazos-Gill, Shama Haider and Ravi Bhalla expected to join the rally alongside the Rev. Bob Moore of the Coalition for Peace Action, Amanda Rosa of Extreme Weather Survivors, Ben Dziobek of the Climate Revolution Action Network and Matt Smith of Food & Water Watch.
The Trenton rally will cap a week of action that included stops in Newark, Jersey City, New Brunswick and Princeton.
Zwicker, a Democrat who represents NJ-16 in the senate and sponsors the bill, said the legislation is a matter of basic fairness.
"This is fundamentally about fairness, and right now there's nothing fair about fossil fuel companies getting left off the hook," Zwicker said. "When I talk to students, they tell me that they're worried about a future that's hotter, more expensive, and more uncertain because of climate change. The Polluters Pay Act is the most direct way to make the fossil fuel companies responsible for that future help pay to fix it. I'm so proud to stand alongside the students and young people leading this fight."
Under current law, New Jersey residents absorb climate-related costs through higher property taxes, insurance premiums and utility bills. New Jersey taxpayers and ratepayers currently cover 100 percent of those costs, supporters say. Climate damages have already cost the state more than $109 billion.
Princeton student organizer Isaac Barsoum, who marched with the Sunrise Movement chapter at the university, said young people have a direct stake in the outcome.
"The climate crisis isn't something far-off. It's happening right now, all around us," Barsoum said. "We can't afford to pay for the consequences of climate change, but big polluters sure can. The Polluters Pay Act will make Big Oil pay for climate resiliency projects in New Jersey to keep our communities safe in the face of the climate disasters those companies created. It's past time the New Jersey legislature got it done."
Ben Dziobek, Director of Climate Revolution Action Network, drew a direct line between the fossil fuel industry's past lobbying against climate science and its current resistance to paying damages.
"Fifty years ago, big polluters paid lobbyists to convince the public and lawmakers that climate change doesn't exist — and now they're repeating the same cycle by paying lobbyists to avoid paying their fair share in taxes," Dziobek said. "The Make Polluters Pay Act responds to decades of Big Oil's lies and profiteering by making them pay their due for the climate crisis they've caused. We shouldn't accept anything less than that as a state."
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