Edward Lloyd, longtime Pinelands commissioner, dies at 74

Edward Lloyd, a fierce advocate of environmental causes and a member of the New Jersey Pinelands Commission for the last 20 years, died on August 5.  He was 74.

“A dedicated champion of climate action, Ed played an integral role in shaping and advancing my Administration’s crucial climate agenda, fighting to protect New Jersey’s sensitive environmental resources, and holding polluters accountable,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.  “His decades-long advocacy at the forefront of environmental policy in New Jersey, as well as his work in protecting the Pinelands, will have a lasting impact on our state as we continue to address the escalating challenges of the climate crisis.”

Lloyd had led litigation against Ciba-Geigy, a New Jersey-based chemical manufacturer, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the 1970s and 1980s for permitting the discharge of pollutants into the ocean near Toms River.

He successfully sued Gov. Chris Christie’s administration for withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Lloyd ran the Rutgers University Environmental Law Center for fifteen years from 1985 to 2000, and served as staff attorney and executive director of the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group from 1974 to 1985; he continued to serve as NJPIRG general counsel.  He was a clinical professor of environmental law at Columbia University and was a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Environmental Litigation.

Gov. James E. McGreevey appointed Lloyd to the Pinelands Commission in 2002; he has been on holdover status for eighteen years.  He fought a proposal to build a 22-mile pipeline through the Pinelands.

He was a founder of the Eastern Environmental Law Center and served on the Columbia University Earth Institute faculty.   Since 2004, he’s been a board member of The Fund for New Jersey.

“The loss of Ed Lloyd will be deeply felt by New Jersey’s environmental community, especially in the Pinelands.  His dedication to the environment and preservation efforts was always at the forefront during his storied career, and he will be greatly missed,” said Laura Matos, the Pinelands Commission chair.  “On behalf of my fellow commissioners, I extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.”

The former New Jersey Sierra Club executive director Jeff Tittel called Lloyd “an environmental  champion and leader that made  New Jersey a much better place.”

“He was a fighter for the people and stood up for us so many times.  He sued (the) government and held polluters accountable,” said Tittel.  “I am heartbroken; he was a close friend and colleague.  I met 50 Ed years ago and worked closely with him over the last 35 years. ”

Tittel said Lloyd was “involved in every major environmental battle for more than a half-century.”

“From Cleaning up toxic sites, Pinelands, Highlands, stopping ocean dumping, environmental justice, clean water, saving open space, protecting us (from) dirty pipelines and power plants — the list is endless,” said Tittel.   “It’s hard to imagine a world without Ed.”

New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn LaTourtette said that New Jersey was “fortunate to have an engaged community of environmental advocates who work hard to improve and protect our natural resources while holding government and private sector actors accountable to our environmental values.”

“Ed Lloyd was such a champion,” LaTourtette said.  “He dedicated his professional career and personal endeavors to the environment we all share. My Department of Environmental Protection colleagues and I were saddened to learn of his passing this weekend. From his longstanding service to the Pinelands Commission to the guidance he showed students of environmental law and policy at Rutgers and Columbia universities, to the many battles he fought before the courts and on the ground in our communities, Ed leaves a legacy of environmental progress that has and will continue to improve the quality of life for countless New Jerseyans.”

Lloyd is survived by his wife, Janine Bauer, a former Essex County freeholder and director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and his two children.  He graduated from Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin Law School.