U.S. Senate candidate and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy announced her opposition to a new natural gas plant in Newark on Tuesday, in her first public break with her husband’s policy position on an issue since he became governor.
“I am not speaking for the governor, and I haven’t talked to him about it,” she told a scrum of reporters after a campaign event at the Ironbound Early Learning Center. “I’m not here to stand up and speak for the administration. That’s not my role here today.”
“And if that’s the essence of your questions, with all due respect, that’s the end of the conversation,” she continued.
Gov. Phil Murphy has previously said he supports the construction of a power generating plant in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood that would provide backup power to a sewage treatment plant run by the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. That comes despite his championing of an environmental justice law that would restrict development in areas classified as “overburdened” by pollution — including the Ironbound.
The first lady would not say whether she intends to lobby him on this issue, and walked away after telling Gothamist: “Thank you so much for asking that question, and take good care, everybody.”
Local and environmental groups have lobbied the governor to have his Department of Environmental Protection halt plans for the gas plant because it would burn natural gas, a polluting fossil fuel, and because the Ironbound neighborhood is already home to many industrial facilities, including three other power plants. The governor’s office declined to comment on Tuesday.
“Tammy Murphy has always been on the right side of environmental issues. She’s been a climate activist for many years,” said Kim Gaddy, a Newark resident and the environmental justice director for advocacy group Clean Water Action.
She also works with the South Ward Environmental Alliance, which works to protect low-income communities in Newark from pollution.
“So I’m…
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