| DEP COMMISSIONER
RESPONDS TO AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION REPORT
(05/49) TRENTON-- New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today issued
the following statement in response to the American Lung Association's
State of the Air: 2005 report that failed 16 of 21 New Jersey
counties for air quality:
"The American Lung Association's report makes all too clear
that our air is not clean enough. I agree that it is unacceptable
that so many New Jersey residents live in areas where air quality
threatens their health and quality of life. Too many residents
are needlessly suffering asthma and other respiratory ailments
due to our poor air quality. The DEP is committed to helping New
Jersey's families and communities have safer, cleaner air.
"Already we have taken a number of steps to address significant
air quality problems, including adopting the most protective mercury
standards in the nation; being the first state ever to negotiate
the shutdown of a dirty power plant outside its borders; securing
significant emission reductions in enforcement cases against several
utilities; and working on a variety of initiatives to reduce particulate
emissions from diesel engines. While we have made significant
progress in some areas - reducing emissions of volatile organic
compounds, oxides of nitrogen and mercury - much more remains
to be done.
"While we continue to do all we can in New Jersey, the report
once again underlines the critical importance of having strong
federal leadership that supports the efforts of individual states
to improve their air quality. More than one-third of New Jersey's
air pollution comes from out-of-state, upwind sources. The Bush
Administration must halt its rollbacks of critical air quality
regulations, particularly related to coal-fired power plants,
and provide meaningful new air quality protections if we are going
to be able to provide our residents with the quality of air they
deserve."
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