Anti-Fracking Activists Don Ostrich Costumes to Seek Support in Westwood

A group of environmental activists visited Westwood Wednesday in an effort to gain support for a bill banning hydraulic fracturing waste fom New Jersey.

State lawmakers passed a bill last year which would have banned solid and liquid waste from the natural gas drilling process commonly called "fracking," but Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the law, citing concerns over its constitutionality.

Opponents of fracking have questioned the safety of the practice because of the hazardous chemicals involved.

Members of environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch — some wearing inflatable ostrich costumes — asked people passing by the Westwood Post Office to call their state representatives and urge them to "pull their heads out of the sand" by overriding the governor's veto.

Matt Smith, an organizer with the group, said they chose to seek support in Westwood because Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, whose office is in the borough, was one of the lawmakers who supported the original bill. The group previously held a rally outside of Schepisi's office last November. A statement released by Schepisi's office reaffirmed her support for "fiscally responsible environmental solutions," but also echoed the governor's concerns.

Smith said they hoped to get a vote on overriding the veto in June. Two-thirds of the state senate and state assembly must vote to override in order for the bill to pass again.

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