Pennsauken, NJ – On Sunday, elected officials and dozens of community members rallied at Cooper River Park to call for the Polluters Pay to Make New Jersey More Affordable Act (S2338/A3735) to pass once the Legislature reconvenes in the Fall. With the Polluters Pay Act awaiting floor votes in the Assembly and Senate, Sheila Davis, Camden City Councilwoman, and Dr. Amy Henderson Riley, Deputy Mayor of Collingswood, led the rally alongside Food & Water Watch, Sustain SJ, Empathy United Indivisible, South Jersey Progressive Democrats, Sunrise Woolwich, and Camden for Clean Air.

This bill would help shift the growing cost of the climate crisis off of residents and onto the major fossil fuel extractors most responsible for this crisis, making them pay their fair share. It would raise $50 billion to fund climate resiliency projects like flood control, electric grid upgrades, cooling centers, modern HVAC systems for our schools, and much more, while creating thousands of well-paying jobs in the process.

“I’m proud to add my voice and support for the Polluters Pay to Make New Jersey More Affordable Act. This legislation is simple and it is fair; the small number of fossil fuel companies most responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions driving our climate crisis would be required to pay into a dedicated state fund, not Camden families and not New Jersey taxpayers. If you make a mess, you help clean it up. For a city like Camden, where the fight for environmental justice is not abstract but a deadly reality for our neighbors, this bill represents exactly the kind of accountability our residents have been demanding,” said Sheila Davis, Camden City councilwoman.

“The Make Polluters Pay event was a clear call to action to our colleagues in Trenton. We want policy solutions that include payment from fossil fuel companies that don’t unfairly pass the burden onto taxpayers. As a doctor of public health, water, clean air and the environment are top issues for me, and I’ll do anything I can to support residents’ physical, mental, and economic health,” said Dr. Amy Henderson Riley, Deputy Mayor of Collingswood. 

“Big oil has poisoned our air, caused our temperatures to rise, and the shareholders reaped the rewards of tax subsidies and increasing consumer costs, all while having downplayed the very impacts they knew were going to destroy our homes. Now, our streets are flooding. 100-year storms are happening at an alarming rate. It’s time to pass the Make Polluters Pay Act,” said David Stahl, Municipal Chair of the Cherry Hill Democrats.

“We must have infrastructure and systems in place to fall back on when the current ones fail due to climate disasters— and we must do what we can— NOW— to mitigate harm and protect future generations. Tell everyone you know about Make Polluters Pay. Strangers, coworkers, family— even people who might hold different views. By openly and constructively talking about the issues that affect all of us, we unite to find solutions towards a stronger future in the face of climate change,” said Megan Biondo of Empathy United Indivisible.

“I really appreciate the various organizations and activists coming out in support of the Polluters Pay legislation.  We heard overwhelmingly that the damage from climate change hits poorer communities hard, so climate change is definitely another environmental justice issue.  Taxpayers should not bear 100% of the costs when the fossil fuel industry continues making record profits and receiving billions in tax breaks and subsidies.  Asking them to pay their fair share is a no-brainer,” said Joe Bouvier of South Jersey Progressive Democrats.

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