Task Force Chair: 
Nancy Griffeth (Beacon: Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit)
Task Force Vice-Chair:
Ray Nichols (Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton)
Email: environment@uufaithaction.org

Our Mission

Environmental Justice links to the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism, calling on UUs to affirm and promote “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

The Environmental Justice Task Force is focussed on three issues:

A Renewable Portfolio Standard for New Jersey
Remediation of Lead in New Jersey Water
Making New Jersey a Community Solar State

UU Faith Action NJ supports setting ambitious goals for the use of renewable energy and providing incentives to promote energy consumption. Two measures have been introduced in the New Jersey legislature, one to transition New Jersey to 100% renewables by 2050 and the other to transition to 100% renewables by 2035. We are gathering information now and will actively support one of these.

We opposed the holiday bill, introduced on December 15, 2017, giving PSEG a rate hike for keeping its nuclear power plants open. Our opposition was based on the rapid, stealthy way it was a introduced; the lack of public oversight on the necessity of the rate hike; the use of excessively complex standards for awarding the Nuclear Diversity Certificates; our general opposition to nuclear power, because we don’t know how to dispose of the waste; and the lack of any planning for transitioning both workers and the power grid to renewables. The bill was not passed in the previous session, but is still active in this session. We will continue to oppose it.

The legislature has introduced bills to rejoin RGGI and to join the US Climate Alliance. We enthusiastically support these.

We are developing legislation to support the interests of Environmental Justice communities and Low and Moderate Income families in the renewable economy. Most are unable to purchase solar panels, but should be able to subscribe to a properly designed Community Solar plan. We will be offering amendments to Assembly bill A457, establishing the Neighborhood Solar Investment Program, to make Community Solar accessible to EJ and LMI communities.

At the annual plenary each Spring an annual report lays out the focus for each area in the coming year.