FERNANDO "Andy" IGREJAS

IGREJAS FERNANDO IGREJAS "Andy" A tireless advocate who rallied a powerful national coalition of health, environmental and labor experts to strengthen public protections against harmful chemicals, died of brain cancer on June 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. He was 47. A native of Bloomfield, NJ, Igrejas began a career of advocacy and activism as a college student in 1989, working with the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG). After graduating with a degree in history from Rutgers University in 1992, he joined the staff of NJPIRG, where he helped secure passage of laws promoting recycling and public transit. In 1996, he moved to California to work on a state anti-corruption ballot initiative, and quickly became one of the state's leading champions for campaign finance reform and environmental protection. As CALPIRG's Legislative Director, Igrejas wrote and led a successful three-year campaign to pass the Clean Water Enforcement and Pollution Prevention Act, which created mandatory minimum penalties for violations of a water pollution discharge permit. The idea was modeled after a similar polluter accountability law enacted in New Jersey while Igrejas was a student organizer with NJPIRG. After PIRG, Igrejas continued his work on toxic pollution issues with the National Environmental Trust, spearheading efforts to make chemical plants safer in the wake of 9/11. "Andy's round-the-clock commitment and persistence helped lead our blue-green alliance [of labor and environmentalists] to victory on bipartisan passage of a bill in the House of Representatives to require chemical plants to switch to safer alternatives," said Rick Hind, former legislative director of Greenpeace. Igrejas consolidated his talents in 2009 to organize Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, which grew into a coalition of some 450 organizations and small businesses spanning the country and the political spectrum. The coalition was a testament, colleagues said, to his skills at navigating varied interests and his mastery of the legal, scientific and political substance behind the welter of issues at the core of chemicals oversight. Igrejas led the chemicals safety coalition through a decade of advocacy that resulted in the first major overhaul of the nation's toxic chemicals laws in 40 years. Named for the five-term U.S. Senator from New Jersey who died five years ago, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed into law in June 2016, by President Barack Obama. The bill didn't go as far as Igrejas or other environmental health advocates had wished. "The bill should do more good than harm," he wrote to his allies. "This is not a champagne moment, but you deserve a beer at least." Since then enforcement of the law's mandates has withered under the Trump administration. Still, thanks to the leadership of Igrejas, the law holds the promise of better protection for millions of Americans and generations to come by establishing a new system for evaluating the risks and restricting the use of dangerous chemicals. Friends and colleagues remembered Igrejas as a man who enjoyed good food, classical guitar, films and world travel, and valued close friends and family above all else. He leaves his wife, Susan Moran Igrejas; mother, Margaret Hill and stepfather Albert Heineman; father Manuel Igrejas and partner Michael Giunta; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 24, 2018 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at O'Boyle Funeral Home, 309 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ, 07003. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 10 a.m., at O'Boyle Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life will be held in Washington, DC at a later date to be announced.