Governance

If long-term economic vitality and prosperity are goals to be achieved in New Jersey, environmental quality, public health and safety, and support for the State’s most vulnerable communities must take precedence.

Primary Concerns:

Given the tremendous environmental challenges facing New Jersey, more than fifty years after local environmental commissions were first established, the time has come to expand and codify decision-making power and authority of environmental commissions to protect local natural resources.
While the State is beginning to take action to address potential flooding and climate issues, greater clarity is needed, as well as interdepartmental approaches along an aggressive timeline.
Many communities lack the administrative, technical and financial capacity to adequately plan for and implement flood resilience practices.
The Pinelands face numerous challenges, including lack of an Executive Director, circumvention of agency review and approval for recent energy infrastructure projects, increased demand for clean water, and destruction of public lands and habitats by illegal, but nearly unregulated, off-road vehicle and truck traffic in regulated areas.
In the Highlands area, Highlands Council appointments are stuck in the Legislature and prior appointments and policy decisions that threaten water resource protections remain in place.
The Meadowlands region is a critical hub of communities, business, infrastructure, and ecology at significant risk of flooding from climate impacts.

Not Started

In Progress

Completed

First 100 Days

Announce significant expansion of the Resilient NJ regional planning program to provide funding for and technical support to additional regional groups of communities at risk from coastal flooding with a goal of engaging at least half of all coastal municipalities by 2025 potentially from the Department’s Coastal Zone Management.

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First 100 Days

Advance greater state-level interdepartmental coordination around climate change action, through:

1. Ensuring each department and regional planning agency prioritizes resilience and mitigation in their budgets and activities.
2. Ensuring agencies follow common climate impact standards, such as the published Sea-Level Rise Guidance for NJ.
3. Ensuring greater transparency and accountability of the existing Interagency Council on Climate Change (established through Executive Order No. 89) and Council of Climate Action and Green Economy (established through Executive Order No. 221) through publicly available meeting minutes, live streaming of meetings, and periodic public convenings of the Councils with time for public comment.
4. Provide sufficient allocation of funding and staff to support the functions of the Councils, development of targets for action and investment in environmental justice communities.

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First 100 Days

Strengthen the state hazard-mitigation plan by requiring greater integration and coordination with county plans that will help direct funding appropriately and reduce improper land use.

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First 100 Days

Ensure that the US Army Corps of Engineers pursue a more multi-hazard, natural and nature-based, and community-informed approach to flood risk management projects, especially the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study.

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First 100 Days

Working with environmental stakeholders in a transparent manner, advance nominees to the Pinelands Commission, and shepherd the nominees through the Legislature, that bring diversity, along with years of relevant experience and expertise in governance and environmental protections, to the Commission. Work with the Pinelands Commission to immediately hire a new Executive Director that believes in the mission of the Commission and consistent implementation of the Comprehensive Management Plan.

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First 100 Days

Provide leadership and guidance to the Pinelands Commission to support changes to the Comprehensive Management Plan that ensure that infrastructure projects are properly reviewed by the Commission before they can move forward.

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First 100 Days

Reinstate the full scope of Highlands Regional Master Plan provisions in the Highlands Council consistency determinations for major permit decisions in the Planning Area, regardless of Conformance status.

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First 100 Days

Require the end of abuse of Highlands Exemption #4 for reconstruction, and require public notice when Exemption #4 is sought under the Certified Municipality Program.

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First 100 Days

Working with environmental stakeholders in a transparent manner, complete the process of Highlands Council nominations by successfully negotiating with Senators to release their courtesy holds, or nominate other qualified, pro-environmental Highlands Council members who will not be held under Senatorial courtesy to replace former administration appointments.

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First 100 Days

Proposed budget stops divisions of BPU’s Clean Energy Fund.

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First Year

Move forward with regulatory and policy initiatives to protect water quantity and quality in the Pinelands.

1. Revise the Comprehensive Management Plan to better protect high-quality habitats from future development
2. Employ comprehensive planning for the location and volume of wells serving current and future needs to ensure water supply is protected from impacts of climate change
3. Reform regulations to bar new or increased withdrawals in locations that harm wetland and stream ecosystems, and require water conservation actions that offset new or increased withdrawals
4. Promote infrastructure planning and repairs to eliminate water lost from public supply systems
5. Establish new rules requiring water protection measures in site preparation and design of new construction

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First Year

Launch a sustained public communications and enforcement initiative to change the expectations of those doing the damage and engage the broader public in enjoying state lands through low-impact recreation.

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First Year

Address continued remaining violations of the Legislature’s intent in enacting the Highlands Act by revising weakened Flood Hazard Area Control Act rules, Coastal Zone Management rules and Stormwater Management rules, including the identification and regulation of headwater streams.

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First Year

Reinstate the more comprehensive planning previously required in Water Quality Management Plans for the Highlands Region.

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First Year

Develop a comprehensive climate adaptation plan for the communities, infrastructure and habitat within the Meadowlands District, including a long-term buyout plan for those properties at greatest risk of flooding, in partnership with New Jersey Blue Acres.

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First Year

Showcase the Meadowlands as an innovative hub of climate adaptation through partnerships with universities, and through novel approaches that could include a regional climate park.

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First Year

Align all revenues across various State programs for climate change mitigation and adaptation and investment in the clean energy economy under a common strategy that includes an equity component and ensures that at least 40 percent of monies are dedicated to front-line and environmental justice communities.

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First Year

Launch Green Fund, proposed to support investments in clean energy technology, including targeting building emissions reductions and lowering the embodied carbon of products and materials used in the buildings sector.

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First Year

Provide training and/or certification in climate change hazard mapping and application to local land use policies, as presented in Sea-Level Rise Guidance for NJ.

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First Term

Continue to incentivize and streamline mechanisms for municipal consolidation, in particular for small coastal communities, to increase potential revenue for struggling areas.

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First Term

Under Surface Water Quality Standards, designate a new Highlands Water antidegradation standard (“HL-1”) that protects existing uses to better protect the drinking water relied on by 6.2 million New Jersey residents.

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First Term

Develop new guidelines for consideration of climate change in Environmental Impact Statements and DEP’s grant, loan, contracting, planning and policy programs.

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First Term

Provide guidance to state agencies on how to include the social cost of carbon cost benefit analysis in all new infrastructure and energy projects.

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