Wowkanech Lauds Lautenberg’s Work on Chemical Security

JERSEY CITY – U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) on Jan. 10 joined Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, N.J. AFL-CIO President Charlie Wowkanech, New Jersey Work Environment Council Director Rick Engler and other local leaders to announce enactment of Lautenberg’s provision to prohibit the federal government from preempting states’ chemical security laws.
“I made a promise in this same spot that I would fight to make sure that states could protect their residents from chemical attacks, and now they can,” said Lautenberg. “My provision is essential to all states, especially New Jersey, which has the strongest chemical security laws in the nation. We fought back special interests in Washington and the Bush Administration to preserve the right of states to protect themselves from an attack on their chemical facilities — and we won.”
Wowkanech, an Ocean City resident, lauded Lautenberg’s “fighting to preserve New jersey’s right for better working and living conditions for all our citizens.
“This law preserves our right to pave the way for progressive ideas and far reaching regulations,” Wowkanech stated in a release. “IT is an important landmark for retaining our ability to enforce tougher regulations and establishing a guiding light for other stated, he added.
“Let us applaud and advance this strategic artnership that cvontinues to enhance the safetry and security of our state and furthermore set an outstanding precedent for other states and even others nations to follow,” Wowkanech stated.
In April 2006, Sen. Lautenberg vowed at the same Jersey City location that he would fight back the Bush Administration’s efforts to preempt New Jersey’s chemical security laws.
A year later, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized regulations that would allow the Administration to preempt state chemical security protections stronger than those adopted at the federal level. The regulations were put in place last June.
Lautenberg’s provision, which was signed into law last month, protects states from the Administration’s preemption and allows them to pass laws they need to protect residents from an attack on their chemical facilities.
New Jersey’s chemical security laws are the strongest in the country. Sen. Lautenberg’s provision rejects the Bush administration’s assertion of broad authority to overturn New Jersey’s laws.
The co-chairs of the September 11th Commission, former Gov. Tom Kean and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, agreed with Sen. Lautenberg’s chemical security provision, and joined the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures and others in supporting it.
Lautenberg is a long-time advocate for improved chemical security. In 1999, he wrote Congress’ first chemical security bill.
In March 2007, Lautenberg, chairman of the Environment and Public Works subcommittee that has jurisdiction over infrastructure security, chaired a field hearing in Newark on the issue of protecting state and local chemical security laws.