Pallone: Environmental Groups Should Not be Silenced by Christie Administration on Inadequate ExxonMobil Settlement

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, made the following statement on court briefs filed by the Christie Administration and Exxon Mobil to block environmental groups from testifying against a $225 million settlement between the state and the oil company.

“I am deeply disappointed with the Christie Administration’s more-of-the-same maneuvering to let big oil off the hook at the expense of New Jersey. At the very least, our state’s environmental groups should be permitted to present facts and speak out against the misguided and severely insufficient settlement with ExxonMobil. Attempting to silence environmental groups after settling for a fraction of the multi-billion dollar environmental damage lawsuit adds insult to injury for our state. I applaud the environmental groups for taking a stand as a united front in order to make clear that corporations cannot wreak havoc on our communities without consequence.”

In June, Pallone sent a letter to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection urging the rejection the proposed settlement. The letter is available HERE.