Report slams New Jersey secrecy over chemical accident readiness plans
A new report is sharply critical of the way New Jersey handles chemical accident preparedness, and says the lack of transparency on state and local levels increases the danger for both the public and emergency responders.
Issued this week by the New Jersey Work Environment Council (WEC) the report says that many municipalities and counties prohibit residents from gaining access to plans for responding to hazardous chemical emergencies, such as the Paulsboro train derailment in 2012 that released large quantities of vinyl chloride, a carcinogen and sent more than two dozen people to the hospital.