Bob Smith

TRENTON – The Senate Environment Committee hosted a vigorous debate today at their meeting to receive testimony on a set of three bills sponsored by Senator Bob Smith that would strengthen recycling in New Jersey

“We need to take action quickly to better promote recycling in New Jersey so that we can slow down the rate at which our landfills are used,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “By increasing the rate of recycling across the state, not only do we reduce the amount of natural resources consumed through manufacturing, but we also reduce the amount of hazardous and non-biodegradable materials entering our landfills.”

TRENTON – A bill package sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would regulate and reduce diesel emissions in New Jersey and vastly improve the State’s air quality was approved by both houses of the Legislature today, and head to the Governor to be signed into law.

“New Jersey is well on the road to cleaner skies, and the prize is just over the horizon,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. “Diesel pollution is a poison that fouls the air we breathe, and increases the risk of certain respiratory and cardiac illnesses that can prove to be fatal. We need better controls on emissions levels, and an across-the-board reduction on air pollution, to provide for a safer, healthier New Jersey for future generations.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would make it easier for non-unionized employees to organize to increase their negotiating power was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 24-11, receiving final legislative approval.

“The right of employees to organize in order to protect the basic rights of the worker is a time-honored tradition that has lead to landmark employee protections that have made the working place a safer and far more fair environment,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset. “Unions have been at the forefront of every major employee initiative in the last 100 plus years. We need to continue the tradition of unionization, to maintain a necessary watchdog for the working man, and give employees the ability to organize without facing retribution from non-union employers.”

TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, and a prime sponsor of legislation to cut down on unhealthy emissions from diesel engines in New Jersey, issued the following statement regarding the bill’s pending consideration in the Senate and Assembly on Monday, and the bill’s fate as a ballot question in November:

“New Jersey is on the verge of cleaner skies and better breathable air. But, the fight for stronger protections from diesel emissions does not end when the bill is signed into law, and we will continue to push for public support when the protections are posed to the voters as a ballot question during this November’s election.

TRENTON – Senator Bob Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, the Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee and the prime sponsor of legislation which would create a State program to retrofit diesel engine with cleaner-burning technology, issued the following statement today regarding amendments approved on the Senate floor for his bill:

“The amendments adopted today represent a compromise between clean air and a healthy business climate, and that compromise will go a long way towards building a balance which we can all live with.

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Bob Smith which would require a higher recycling standard for plastic packaging sold in New Jersey to promote recycling and preserve landfill space was given a hearing by the Senate Environment Committee today, with a vote scheduled at a later date.

“New Jersey really needs to push the use of recycled plastics by our State’s manufacturers and retailers to avoid increasing the number of landfills in the State,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. “In the Garden State, where we have the distinction of being the most densely populated state in the nation, we cannot afford to give up more of our precious open space to be transformed into a dump. Increasing our reliance on recycled plastics and promoting recycling over dumping will make for a cleaner, greener tomorrow.”