Passaic City Chemical Fire Reform Bill Stalled In Budget Committee – Senate President Scutari Urged To Break Logjam And Get The Bill On The Governor’s Desk

Murphy DEP Ignores Risks Of Chemical Fires, As They Exaggerate Pinelands Wildfire Risks

(Courtesy Twitter user @bergonfire ) (sic)

The people of Passaic City and emergency responders dodged a deadly chlorine chemical fire bullet last year at the Qualco chemical storage plant.

The Bergen Record reported that the fire could have been “one of the biggest disasters in the Country”:

• Keeping Passaic fire from chlorine prevented ‘one of the biggest disasters in the country’

The fire exposed huge gaps in NJ’s chemical safety and emergency response laws, known as the Right To Know Act (RTK) and the Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA).

I wrote Chairman Smith on Jan. 18, 2022 to urge that those gaps be closed:

Dear Chairman Smith:

I am writing to urge that you direct an independent investigation, conduct open public legislative oversight hearings, and sponsor much needed legislative reforms to strengthen chemical safety and emergency response management planning and regulation, as recently exposed by the chemical fire in Passaic NJ.

As you will recall, as Chairman of an Assembly Committee, you held oversight hearings in the wake of the 1995 Knapp Technologies explosion in Lodi, NJ that killed 4 workers and put the community and emergency responders at risk.

Since then there have been a number of related incidents that strongly suggest the need for strengthening NJ’s chemical safety programs, including the toxic train derailment that forced evacuation of the community in Paulsboro, NJ. …..[…]

On June 2, 2022, Senate Environment Committee Chairman Bob Smith and Senator Pou introduced legislation to close exactly the main loopholes I wrote about  (but not the environmental justice law loophole) and mandate reforms to DEP’s chemical “Right To Know” program, see S2739

Following a pattern, Gov. Murphy responded with a minor and largely symbolic Executive Order #284, that was long on rhetoric and short on substance (while his DEP Commissioner ignored all that and held multiple press events and Zoom press briefing calls exaggerating risks of Pinelands wildfire, while spouting drivel about his deep commitment to environmental justice. I can hardly imagine a greater injustice than a chemical fire that killed people and burned down a city.)

The bill was fast tracked and quietly released from the Senate Environment Committee with no testimony or discussion or media coverage.

But, just as we predicted, it went to Senator Sarlo’s Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee to die, see:

• Did Chemical Industry Lobbyists Kill The Passaic City Fire Loophole Legislation?

So today, we wrote to urge Senate President Scutari to break the logjam in Sarlo’s Committee, post the bill for Senate vote, and get the bill on the Gov. Murphy’s desk:

Dear Senate President Scutari:

We are approaching the one year anniversary of the major chemical fire in Passaic City at the Qualco chemical storage site.

The people of the City and emergency responders dodged a deadly bullet, in what could have been a deadly chlorine fire, described by emergency responder as what could have been ‘one of the biggest disasters in the country’ (Bergen Record).

The fire exposed huge gaps in NJ’s chemical safety laws.

Senators Pou and Smith responded with legislation, see S2739.

The bill was released by the Senate Environment Committee but is now stalled in the Budget and Appropriations committee.

I am writing to urge that you talk to Chairman Sarlo and get the bill moving through the Senate and on the Governor’s desk ASAP.

Let’s not risk another possibility of experiencing “one of the biggest disasters in the country'”.

Respectfully,

Bill Wolfe

(retired DEP planner)