Editor’s note: The opinions below are the author’s, and do not necessarily represent those of this publication.
To the Editor:
In response to the article “Frelinghuysen Strikes Back,” and specifically to Rep. Frelinghuysen’s claim in his fundraising letter that activists are “lying about my record,” I would like to point out that there is no reason for activists to lie about the Congressman’s record.
It speaks for itself, and his constituents are not happy with it. Frelinghuysen started out as a “moderate” but has become increasingly right-wing and out of step with the citizens he is supposed to represent, probably to curry favor with a GOP now dominated by Tea Party extremists.
Many New Jerseyans in the 11th District are especially concerned about Rep. Frelinghuysen’s stance on the environment.
He postures as someone who cares—every year touring the six Superfund sites in the district—but his voting record is atrocious.
Clean Water Action gives him a score of 0 percent. That’s not a typo. He voted yes on bills to dismantle clean air and water regulations, to build unnecessary pipelines, and to allow drilling on public lands 100 percent of the time.
Some of these legislative moves would greatly affect New Jersey, which has the most Superfund cleanup sites of any state in the country thanks to manufacturers being allowed to treat our state like a toxic waste dump for decades.
Rodney Frelinghuysen can claim that unhappy constituents are “lying” about his record, but anyone who has any doubts can simply look up the votes. Here is the link.
Congressman, let’s at least have an honest conversation. Stand by your record and defend it, if you can.
Citizens of the 11th District, if you are concerned about how cuts to the EPA will affect New Jersey, not to mention the entire planet, please consider signing a petition demanding that Congressman Frelinghuysen, in his capacity as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, stand up against budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, which the Trump administration wants to slash by a devastating 31 percent.
Raising our voices as concerned citizens is the only thing that will stop the madness.
Sincerely,
Carrie Cantor
Montclair
Carrie Cantor is co-chair (a volunteer position) of the Environment Committee of BlueWaveNJ, a grassroots citizen action group founded and run by citizen volunteers.