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Coutinho: Newark Incinerator Improvements Welcome But Vigilance Still a Must

Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Essex) on Wednesday released the following statement on the agreement to improve emission controls at a Newark trash incinerator plant:

“This is welcome news for the people of Newark, especially those in the Ironbound neighborhood, a historically blue collar community with some of the highest asthma rates in the state.

“As home to New Jersey’s largest Superfund site and the lowest green space per capita, I appreciate the efforts of the administration, the Port Authority and Covanta Energy to address one of the persistent environmental injustices that have plagued our community. I would have liked to see such steps taken sooner, but this is nonetheless an important step toward improving the air quality and health for residents.

“Because the plant will continue to provide dangerous air pollutants, vigilance is a must. These improvements must become reality as quickly as possible, and we must always do everything possible to take whatever steps are needed to keep on top of this issue and make ongoing improvements as often as possible. The residents of Newark deserve nothing less.”