SAYREVILLE, NJ – Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (D-19) issued the following statement in response to today’s court decision approving the Christie Administration’s proposed settlement of environmental claims against Exxon.
“Today’s ruling in support of the Christie administration’s settlement agreement with Exxon is a grave loss for the people of New Jersey. It cheapens the value of our natural resources and shortchanges the public that was deprived of their use. Worse yet, it set a low bar for future negotiations, which will only perpetuate the injustice of the decision.
“This settlement, should it be allowed to stand, will forever be tainted by a Christie administration that has repeatedly demonstrated its prime interest is not in our state, but in the Governor’s future ambitions. That it should have been affirmed without allowing dissenting voices to have their day in court casts additional doubts upon its credibility. It is a decision that demands an appeal and, if unsuccessful in the attempt, a law that needs to be changed.”