09/12/2024
10th CEEJH Environmental Justice Symposium: Environmental Justice Past, Present, and Future
Environmental Justice, Goods Movement, and Air Quality Issues in New Jersey
Live Stream Link: https://youtube.com/live/5_0b6R_EQds
While transportation of goods in this country is pivotal for the economic and social well-being of the country, it has enormous carbon and air pollution footprints--these footprints differentially burden and impact communities of color and low-wealth areas. The Port of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is the third largest seaport in the United States, comprising nearly 30% of the East Coast’s total port market share. 85% of goods leaving the port are transported by diesel-powered trucks via major highways and local roads within the region to nearby warehouses, assembly facilities, and retailers. This affects the health of the South Ward, Newark, New Jersey residents, which contains the predominantly African American neighborhoods of Dayton Street, Weequahic, and Clinton Hill.
In this session, panelists will describe the established community-university-government partnership to understand exposure issues and cumulative impacts of goods movement activities and environmental injustice in the South Ward. Panelists will discuss the benefits of, lessons learned from, and challenges associated with developing a hyperlocal low-cost real-time PurpleAir monitoring network in the South Ward to measure baseline particulate matter levels. They will discuss findings from 2023-2024 and what this means for regulation and enforcement in the community. Furthermore, panelists will speak on the use of C-12 black carbon monitors, a community-friendly aethalometer-based instrument that can capture black carbon readings, further pinpointing soot and diesel exhaust coming from port-related traffic. Panelists will discuss community-centered strategies, recent cumulative impacts legislation, and solutions that should be implemented such as truck rerouting, zero emission zones, clean air zones and corridors for children, and truck idling enforcement.
While transportation of goods in this country is pivotal for the economic and social wellbeing for the country, it has enormous carbon and air pollution foot...
