Date : Wed, 6 Apr 2016 16:30:04 -0400
Governor Christie held a press conference regarding the problems New Jersey is having with lead in our drinking water and homes. Governor Christie has continuously vetoed legislation to appropriate funds to lead abatement, as recently as last January. He has also tried to downplay the issue by calling it “nowhere near a crisis,” Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“The Governor, instead of leading on lead, is instead misleading on lead and not wanting to really deal with the problem. The health of our schoolchildren is a state responsibility yet he has done nothing to protect our children from lead. The $10 million that he said he’s giving for lead abatement for paint in homes should have been in the budget in the first place. He’s not really giving us anything. His answer to lead is to do nothing but put money back that he stole in the first place. What about the rest of the $50 million that he’s already diverted in other years from the fund?
“Governor Christie says it’s not his responsibility when it comes to testing and treating drinking water for lead. As our Governor he has taken an oath to protect the health, safety and well-being of the people of New Jersey. This includes the children of Newark, Paterson, and Camden schools. It is his and the state’s responsibility to protect our water because the water that people drink belongs to all of us under New Jersey law. The Governor is trying to downplay the impact lead is having to the children in our schools.
“Despite 17,000 children needed to be tested for lead in Newark alone, the Governor has said that lead in New Jersey is not a ‘crisis.’ However, we’re seeing dangerous levels of lead in the drinking water of Newark, Camden, Paterson, and other places throughout the state. People are still dealing with the consequences of having lead paint in their homes. Children continue to be diagnosed with lead poisoning and suffer from illness because of it. These signs are pervasive of a systematic issue and one that the Christie Administration has continued to ignore. The Christie Administration were the ones who created the lead problem in Newark. It was their hand-picked school Superintendent Christie appointed that didn’t do their job to make sure kids safe. They were the ones who ignored the issue after lead was found in the drinking water.
“The Governor says that the problem only comes from old paint. Tell that to the children of Newark or Camden who may be drinking water contaminated with lead. Our water infrastructure is antiquated and we need money to fix it and keep the lead out of our drinking water. He is relying on filters to keep lead out of the drinking water yet the filters have not worked. They don’t get maintained and instead we need to fix system and this will cost money. Some cities have infrastructure that goes back to the Victorian Age. We need to replace these old pipes if we want to keep lead out of the drinking water and this has an $8 billion price tag. Whether it comes from drinking water or paint, lead is toxic to our children. One poisons you slowly and the other quickly but both are poisonous.
“New Jersey needs to adopt stricter standards for lead levels. Children in some New Jersey cities have more lead in their blood than those in Flint, Michigan. Lead can cause illness and even in small amounts can lead to brain damage and learning disabilities. It can also lead to childhood development problems and other serious health issues. Thousands of children are diagnosed with lead poisoning in our state each year; over 3,000 in 2015 alone. New Jersey is using the Action Level of 15ppb when it should be stricter: at least 5 ppb like it is in California. If it’s good enough for people to drink from a private well, it should be good enough for our schools.
“Governor Christie has also spoken against the Smart Container Act that would create a bottle deposit and set up funds for a long-term lead abatement problem. We need to establish a long-term solution not just a Band-Aid and that’s what the Smart Container Act aims to do. Does the Governor have another long-term solution for what could be an $8 billion problem in New Jersey? Not to mention, in a 2009 Sierra Club questionnaire, Christie supported a bottle bill. Why would he change his mind now, especially when it would directly benefit communities suffering from lead problems?
“Schools are the Governor’s responsibility and he is not doing anything to address the problem of lead-filled drinking water in our schools. He is not doing anything to protect the children of these cities who can no longer drink out of their water fountains. He is failing to fulfill his oath by continuing to deny and address the very real problem of lead in New Jersey. The Governor has balanced the budget on the backs of our children. This is becoming more and more like Flint, Michigan: withholding information, denial and spin. Meanwhile children are drinking lead that shouldn’t be there. It’s time for the Governor to step up and face the problem of lead in New Jersey.”
--
Jamie Zaccaria Administrative Assistant New Jersey Sierra Club office: (609) 656-7612 https://www.facebook.com/NJSierraClub