Environmental Activists Hope Gov. Murphy Hears Them In Red Bank

RUMSON, NJ — A "Gov. Murphy, Walk Your Talk On Climate" will bring a message to the governor to stop seven proposed fossil fuel projects, according to Waterspirit, the Rumson-based environmental advocacy group.

The group is planning to have a rally on the last day of the walk, Aug. 20, at Marine Park in Red Bank, which hopefully will be spotted by Murphy from his Middletown home across the Navesink River, organizers say. Details and permits for the rally are still being finalized, they note.

"We are lucky to live in a state with a leader who takes the climate crisis seriously and who will listen to the voices who urge a fossil-free future," said Blair Nelsen, executive director of Waterspirit. "We just want to give Gov. Murphy a little push," she said genially.

The rally is planned to be next to the river at Marine Park - and she said she believes the governor will be able to see them from his Middletown estate. Bad weather will be a factor, however, so the location is dependent on that, too.

The walk is being organized by the Empower NJ coalition along with many local environmental groups. It begins Aug. 16 and will end in Red Bank on Aug. 20.

During the "Walk and Caravan for Clean Air and Climate Justice," participants will travel from Newark to Elizabeth, to Woodbridge, to Old Bridge and finally to Red Bank over the five-day period.

The walk/caravan will link the "grassroots struggles to stop seven proposed fossil fuel projects in New Jersey, which local groups have been fighting for years," organizers said in a news release.

The seven projects are:

• North Jersey: Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. pipeline.
• Newark/Kearny: NJ Transit power plant.
• Newark: Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission power plant.
• Woodbridge: Woodbridge CPV power plant.
• Jersey City: NJ Turnpike expansion, which would increase fossil fuel pollution.
• Central/South NJ (Branchburg/Old Bridge): Williams Regional Energy Access pipeline expansion.
• Gibbstown: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export terminal on the Delaware River.

These projects would be "massive polluters, increasing New Jersey’s greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 38 percent, and putting peoples’ health and lives at risk," organizers say.

There are four projects facing final permit decisions in the coming months, organizers say, so the walk is a way to "dramatize to Gov. Murphy that he must use his powers to put a stop to all of these dirty, dangerous and unnecessary projects."

The walk will host daily community meetings, rallies, vigils and other actions at appropriate locations determined by local groups. These events will highlight the need for a "rapid shift away from fossil fuels to jobs-creating, clean renewable energy solutions," organizers say.

Empower NJ invites participants to join up for the entire walk/caravan, whether to walk or ride for short distances, to stand along the route to cheer on participants or to attend the daily rallies and the final event on Aug. 20, organizers say.