Newark "Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts"

This case is situated in New Jersey. Newark had had a legacy of over pollution and poor standards in zoning laws and industrial culpability, so the environmental group New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and other groups took it upon themselves to collaborate and curate a public land zoning policy ordinance that could be adopted by local officials. In a process that took 7 years and through the collaboration of multiple organizations they generated the Cumulative Impacts Ordinance that was adapted into public policy. It was one of the first major environmental laws that took into consideration the cumulative impacts on front line communities. Through the communities and EJ groups’ work they generated an EJ checklist that was used in industrial approval processes. This case study is demonstrative of how communities can be apart of the permitting process by developing and submitting community generated Ordinances that are utilized and employed by local government.