For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie Greger, Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
NJ Sierra Club Urges Government Leaders to Protect Keyport and Find Solutions
Keyport, NJ - Tonight, at a community action meeting with hundreds of people in Keyport, the Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter called on local, state, and federal officials to find sustainable solutions for the borough that protect the residents of Keyport and surrounding communities. Speaking directly to affected residents, the NJ Sierra Club demanded effective cleanup, smart, long-term solutions for the site, and robust legislative action to address decades of hazardous leakage.
Currently, the community is awaiting environmental test results from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the New Jersey Department of Health, and Excel, an independent environmental testing firm hired by Keyport. The NJ Sierra Club argues that town leaders must no longer passively wait. Instead, they must proactively prepare sustainable, safe alternatives if the final data proves that Pacer’s redevelopment proposal is too dangerous.
"As a resident of Keyport, this issue hits even harder. I will do everything I can to protect our community and our home. The Sierra Club New Jersey Chapter strongly opposes corporate-driven redevelopment shortcuts at the Keyport Aeromarine Landfill. With over 400 local families reporting cancer cases, we insist that no redevelopment permits should even be considered until the state completes a rigorous exposure pathway analysis,” said Taylor McFarland, Conservation Program Manager for the Sierra Club NJ Chapter. “This contamination has been going on for decades. That is long enough for our government representatives to find solutions.”
McFarland pointed to past state actions as a roadmap for leadership, noting how New Jersey officials successfully passed strict safety legislation following the Eastern Metal Recycling facility fire in Camden.
"Our government representatives need to be leaders and learn from this disaster happening in our community, in our homes, to our families, to our pets, and to ourselves. We need action, and we need it now. It is the job of our local, state, and federal officials to protect public health and the environment, not to pave the way for corporate convenience," said Taylor McFarland, Conservation Program Manager for the Sierra Club NJ Chapter. "Our community is hurting, but we are incredibly strong. We need to continue to show up, hold our leaders accountable, and ensure this site is fully cleaned up so that Keyport is protected for future generations."
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