Press Releases
"Chemical security is an issue of critical importance to the safety of many of my constituents and to our national security, and one that the House has not yet dealt with nearly four years after September 11th.
"Some of you may have seen a recent article in the New York Times about a chemical plant in Kearny, New Jersey that holds so many dangerous substances that intentional sabotage or an accident poses a lethal threat to 12 million people. At ten other facilities in the state, a release of toxic gas could kill upwards of one million people.
Washington, D.C. --- After the completion of a three-hour Capitol Hill BRAC hearing, U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) said they believe that the Department of Defense substantially deviated from the criteria it was supposed to use in making its recommendations.
Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone today said the Bush Administration is violating federal law by choosing not to issue mandatory regulations regarding lead paint. In a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, the New Jersey congressman expressed his outrage regarding recent reports that suggest that the EPA will instead issue voluntary standards.
Hamilton, NJ --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and New Jersey AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech today assailed a Bush administration agreement with Central America and called on the House of Representatives to reject the agreement when it comes up for a vote later this month. They were joined by Hamilton Mayor Glen Gilmore at the old American Standard bathroom fixture facility, which shut down in 2001 and relocated to Mexico, leaving 274 New Jersey workers without jobs.
Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Reps. Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today issued the following statements regarding the recommendation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Fort Monmouth be closed and its activities consolidated at other military facilities under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.
Rep. Holt's response:
"Today, the House approved crucial legislation that for the first time ensures homeland security funding for first responders is distributed on the basis of risk, not strictly on the basis of population.
"Terrorists don't pick their targets arbitrarily. We all know that New York and New Jersey face more risks than any other two states in the nation. And yet, the current funding formula provides as much first responder funding to the state of North Carolina as it does to New Jersey, simply because both states have roughly the same population.
Washington, D.C. --- Pointing to the fact that 11 chemical plants in the New Jersey area are at risk of a terrorist attack that could affect more than one million people, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, yesterday reintroduced legislation that would improve security and reduce hazards at these facilities and hundreds of others around the nation.
Washington, DC --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), the ranking Democrat of the House Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans, introduced legislation last week that would prohibit the commercial harvesting of Atlantic Striped Bass in the coastal waters and the exclusive economic zone of the United States in order to enable coastal populations to return to historical abundances.
Eatontown, NJ --- U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rush Holt (D-NJ), cochairmen of the Save Our Fort Committee, today issued a detailed report showing the significant role Fort Monmouth is playing in the war in Iraq, and said the report demonstrates Fort Monmouth's critical role in today's military.
Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Reps. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, recently welcomed more than 350 members of the Armenian community to Capitol Hill to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. They were joined by numerous Senators and Members of Congress.
The event, held April 20, was organized by the Armenian Caucus, with the participation of the Armenian Embassy and more than two dozen Armenian-American organizations.