New Jersey’s overburdened communities house 30 gas- and oil-fired power plants, almost half of the State’s total fossil fuel plants. Ten percent of schools in overburdened communities are within a mile of a fossil fuel plant compared to just 3 percent for non-overburdened communities.
According to a story map developed by the New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center, the State’s overburdened communities tend to overlap with those that face significant energy burdens (the share of household income spent on energy costs). This means that the communities that bear the brunt of pollution from fossil fuel-fired plants also face the steepest energy costs.
One way to address these inequities is to support overburdened communities through well-paying job opportunities. There are thousands of clean energy jobs in New Jersey counties that house large numbers of overburdened communities (e.g., Middlesex and Bergen County). Unfortunately, there are significant barriers to green jobs for marginalized groups.
Overcoming barriers to participation in the clean energy industry can provide these communities with better opportunities while improve equity within New Jersey’s energy sector.
