While no one is immune from the coronavirus, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected minority and low-income communities. Concurrently, across the country sustained protests call for an end to racial inequality. Environmental justice, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies," is essential to achieving this goal and ensuring that people living in Black and Brown communities have access to clean air, clean water, safe outdoor recreation, healthy food and protection from pollution.

Pollution in Overburdened Communities

On Sept. 18, New Jersey made environmental justice history when Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law S-232 (the act) that requires the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to consider the environmental and public health implications of certain facilities on "overburdened communities." Most notably, the law requires that the DEP must deny a permit for a new facility or expansion of an existing facility, or apply new conditions to the renewal of an existing Clean Air Act major source permit, if the DEP finds that approval or renewal of the permit would "cause or contribute to adverse cumulative environmental or public health stressors in the overburdened community that are higher than those borne by other communities."