The Five Pillars
Clean air, zero emissions, community empowerment, worker protections, and economic justice — the five fights that define the coalition’s work.
Clean Air
“No one’s zip code should decide whether their child can breathe.”
Diesel exhaust from the busiest port complex on the East Coast settles in the lungs of the people who live closest to it. NJ ranks 2nd in the nation in cancer risk from diesel soot.
- Full implementation of NJ’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule — no delays
- Cumulative impact rules covering scrap yards & underregulated facilities
- Permanent air monitoring at port facilities, with public data
- Zero-emission zones in port-adjacent communities
Zero Emissions
“The technology exists. The political will is the fight.”
Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are under 10% of NJ road traffic but generate nearly 50% of toxic tailpipe emissions.
- Full, timely implementation of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule
- Electrification of trucks, equipment & warehouses at the port
- Gubernatorial powers to push the Port Authority to zero emissions
- Charging/fueling infrastructure scaled to the regional freight system
Aggressive, sustained, equitable — paid for by shipping companies, not drivers.
Community Empowerment
“The people closest to the harm are closest to the solution.”
For decades, port decisions were made about port-adjacent communities without them at the table.
- Full implementation of NJ’s S232 EJ law and its cumulative impact rules
- Expansion of municipal EJ ordinances modeled on Newark’s 2016 law
- Multilingual community notification during port emergencies
- Public seats & real authority on Port Authority bodies
Worker Protections
“The people who move the goods deserve to make it home healthy.”
Port truck drivers have spent decades misclassified — denied benefits, earning poverty wages while shouldering truck-upgrade costs.
- End independent-contractor misclassification of port truck drivers
- Living wages, health benefits & pensions for port & warehouse workers
- Safe conditions, including protection from diesel exposure
The cost of the transition must fall on the companies that profit — not the drivers.
Economic Justice
“A port that works for the region should work for the people it runs through.”
The port generates billions — little of which reaches the communities it runs through. Roughly 1 in 3 NJ residents now lives near a mega-warehouse.
- Pass the Warehouse and Port Pollution Reduction Act (S3546/A4679)
- Local hiring requirements for port & warehouse jobs
- Equitable distribution of federal port-decarbonization funding
- Public investment proportionate to the pollution burden carried
Organizing for clean air, good jobs, and healthy communities at the Ports of New York and New Jersey.
© 2026 Coalition for Healthy Ports NJ–NY
Clean Air. Good Jobs. Healthy Communities.