CJ Griffin Quoted in Northjersey.com regarding Newspaper’s Quest for Evacuation Plans
CJ Griffin, Partner and Director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, was quoted in a northjersey.com article, “Too many in NJ live near hazardous materials. This is what lawmakers must do.” The article is part of a lengthy series that discusses the risks for hazmat emergencies in North Jersey, home to some of the most diverse and densely populated communities in the United States. The newspaper filed requests to obtain the emergency evacuation plans from towns with high concentrations of hazardous materials. After those towns denied the requests, Griffin filed eight separate lawsuits to gain access to them. Each of the towns subsequently produced their plans and settled the cases.
“The purpose of a plan is to be prepared and know what to do ahead of time.” Griffin said. “Depriving residents of this information in advance means that folks will be panicking and scrambling in real time to figure out what to do.”