Chris Whitehead
Enviro-Sciences, Inc.
Mr. Whitehead is a seasoned environmental project manager and air compliance specialist with over 14 years of experience in the industry. He is certified in ISO14001 and has managed numerous compliance, auditing, offshore wind, GHG, CEMS, and permitting projects during his career.
He has extensive experience planning and executing marketing campaigns, writing proposals, managing projects, and negotiating with state agencies and the EPA. Numerous site specific trainings, presentations for professional orgs, and COVID site safety training.
Specialties: Air Permit Compliance, ISO14001, Environmental Justice, Business Development, SPCC, Stormwater permitting, Hazardous Waste Management Planning, OCS permitting, COP submittal, Emission Controls, Title V permitting, CEMS protocols and integrations (Parts 60 and 75), Regulatory Applicability, Resiliency, Environmental Management Systems, SEO, Permitting Fumigation Sources, NSR/PSD permitting, Proposal Writing, Website Development, Compliance Auditing, MS Office, WordPress
National and Local Associations: ILTA, AWMA, SWANA, NJBIA, NJ Chemistry Council, NJAEA, NJTMA, NY Chemistry Council, MACNY, MCTA, EBC New England
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New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law: A Potential Model for EJ National Focus
New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law (EJ Law) is being lauded as one of the most comprehensive in the United States, and is being considered as a model, including nationally. While the law was only enacted in September 2020 and is still being implemented, it empowers the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to deny permits for certain facilities if the facility would contribute to a disproportionate impact on an overburdened community (i.e., a community where environmental justice concerns are present). While the law contains a strong framework for addressing environmental justice issues during permitting of facilities, several complicated issues need to be considered before the law is implemented, and before it truly can serve as a model for other jurisdictions.
Overview
There has been a growing discussion regarding the siting of facilities with significant environmental impacts in low-income, typically urban communities. According to the NJDEP and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice efforts respond to this discussion by ensuring “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” However, environmental justice implicates more than just the siting of industrial facilities. In fact, environmental justice has been in the national spotlight in recent years because of specific environmental crises in these communities, including the Flint water crisis, where public drinking water was polluted with lead and other contaminants. It also has been reported recently that 70 percent of hazardous waste sites listed on the National Priorities List under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act are EJ sites.