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New Jersey asks for court-ordered cleanup of 'massive' pile of waste in Camden

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New Jersey asks for court-ordered cleanup of 'massive' pile of waste in Camden

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New Jersey officials have asked a court to order an immediate cleanup of an illegal dump site in Camden that is composed of contaminated waste several stories high and is “spreading onto neighboring properties, sidewalks, and roadways, threatening the safety and health of local residents and the environment,” they say.

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NJ Office of the Attorney General

New Jersey officials have asked a court to order an immediate cleanup of an illegal dump site in Camden that is composed of contaminated waste several stories high and is "spreading onto neighboring properties, sidewalks, and roadways, threatening the safety and health of local residents and the environment," they say.

"No community in New Jersey should be used as an illegal dumping ground, and no resident of this state should have their health and safety put at risk by illegal dumping near their home," said acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck in a statement, adding, "We cannot achieve racial justice without environmental justice. ..."

Bruck and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette filed the action Monday in Superior Court as part of a civil suit the state filed in May against S. Yaffa & Sons Inc. for what the state calls "decades-long noncompliance with environmental laws and regulations, which continue to expose the Camden community to pollution and other environmental and public health hazards."

The state's initial suit alleged that S. Yaffa & Sons and its owner, William Yocco, "unlawfully imported and stockpiled solid waste - including contaminated soil, construction and demolition debris, and waste tires - at its property in the City of Camden for years before selling the site to Weyhill Realty Holdings in July 2019."

Weyhill then failed to remove the waste and continued to allow dumping at the site, the state contends.

A representative for Weyhill could not be reached immediately for comment.

The lawsuit noted that the area surrounding the property "has a significant low-income and minority population. Historically, across New Jersey, such communities have been disproportionately exposed to high-polluting facilities and to the resultant threats of high levels of air, water, and soil pollution, and accompanying potential for increased public health impacts."

The site, once used for scrap-metal operations, is on the 600 block of Chestnut Street in Camden, about three-quarters of a mile east of the Delaware River, and contains a 500-gallon unleaded gasoline tank that was never properly closed, according to the state. Officials say the tank poses a risk of leaking into the soil.

According to the lawsuit, the DEP inspected the site many times between 2002 and 2021, finding "numerous, repeated violations" of various regulations.

In recent years, inspections found concrete, brick, block, soil, and other materials piled high, as well as tires. Yaffa & Sons was cited for the gas tank and other violations, fined $4,500, and ordered to remediate the property, which would include properly disposing of the construction debris and tires.

But officials say Yaffa & Sons never complied before selling the property to Weyhill Realty Holdings.

In November 2020, state inspectors collected 10 soil samples from various locations at the site, which "contained at least one hazardous substance at a concentration that exceeds DEP's standards, including standards for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (`PAHs') and metals," the lawsuit states. "PAHs and metals are both carcinogens and have been shown to cause liver, kidney, and other organ damage."

DEP officials ordered Weyhill in December 2020 to immediately stop accepting more solid waste. However, officials went back to the site in February and "observed the continued commingling of construction and demolition debris with soils."

The five-count lawsuit demands that Yaffa and Weyhill properly close the storage tank, create a site closure plan, and investigate all hazardous discharges coming from the site. The state seeks unspecified civil penalty and legal fees.

Separately, Camden issued a Cease Operations Order for the site in April. However, the massive mound of waste remains.

On Monday, with the amended filing by the state, officials are asking the court to order immediate removal of solid waste, dust, and debris that has moved from the site to a neighboring home; repair and restore fencing; remove debris that has accumulated on sidewalks, roadways, and elsewhere; stabilize the solid waste pile because of concerns it could collapse and create a contaminated "landslide" into the neighbor's yard, or onto streets, sidewalks, and alleyways.

"Those who violate our waste laws are not just harming our environment, they are damaging the spirit of our communities, in effect saying that our fellow New Jerseyans are somehow less deserving of natural beauty and environmental protection," La Tourette said in a statement.

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New Jersey asks for court-ordered cleanup of 'massive' pile of waste in Camden

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New Jersey officials have asked a court to order an immediate cleanup of an illegal dump site in Camden that is composed of contaminated waste several stories high and is "spreading onto neighboring properties, sidewalks, and roadways, threatening the safety and health of local residents and the environment," they say.

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Morris County: Contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater

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Morris County: Contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater

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New Jersey has the most Superfund sites of any state, 114 as of Feb. 1 identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as contaminated with hazardous substances that threaten public health or the environment.

Morris County has 10 of those sites, more than 12 states. After initial investigations, the EPA placed Rolling Knolls Landfill on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in September 2003.

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CHATHAM TOWNSHIP - Well-hidden from public view, a federal Superfund site awaits remediation in the residential Green Village section, quite literally extending its potentially toxic impact into the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

New Jersey has the most Superfund sites of any state, 114 as of Feb. 1 identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as contaminated with hazardous substances that threaten public health or the environment.

Morris County has 10 of those sites, more than 12 states. After initial investigations, the EPA placed Rolling Knolls Landfill on the Superfund program's National Priorities List in September 2003.

As the deadline nears for the EPA to release its long-awaited feasibility study of Rolling Knolls, agency representatives met with area residents and environmental activists comprising the Rolling Knolls Landfill Superfund Community Action Group.

"It's a long and sometimes complicated process," said EPA section Chief Stephanie Vaughn while presenting a PowerPoint presentation during a two-hour Zoom meeting.

Fieldwork for the Rolling Kolls remedial investigation was conducted from 2007 to 2015 to characterize the nature and extent of the contamination in soil, sediment and groundwater. The presentation showed levels of several contaminants, the most concerning being PCBs, lead and arsenic, investigators said.

The goals of the feasibility study are to review the investigation and determine a remediation plan. In this case, a feasibility study draft filed in March presents five "remedial alternative" plans that range from simple land-use restrictions to excavating and capping 140 acres of the original landfill.

Prior to the meeting, Sally Rubin, executive director of the nonprofit Great Swamp Watershed Association, said her group favored the most aggressive remediation option. But the association fears the EPA was leaning toward an alternative that included limited excavation, she said.
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EPA representatives at the meeting held off on recommendations pending review of the draft and the mandatory minimum 30-day period of public comment required after the feasibility study is released. That release is tentatively scheduled for late spring or early summer.

The Rolling Hills Landfill Community Action Group, known as CAG, pressed the EPA reps on the timeline and certain aspects of the remedial plans. One member said the EPA full-cap proposal would unnecessarily require "100,000 truck trips" in and out of Green Village.

Bob Blauvelt, an environmental engineering consultant working for CAG, said the members are "far from convinced" of the accuracy of the EPA sampling. Another CAG member, Chatham Township resident Matthew Palmer, said he has "been disturbed it seems the feasibility study is in some ways biased against the most protective option, which would be to cap the entire site."

He also asked why the EPA would favor trucking fill into the site to replace the removed material when "the Great Swamp is on top of a very very thick layer of clay, which is exactly what would be used to cap the site."

"To say that material would be brought in from offsite increases the cost and dramatically increases the community impact with respect to truck traffic," said Palmer, a professor of ecology at Columbia University.

Rubin and others said that despite the mandatory public comment period, they worried the process could be tainted because "the design decision comes after a proposed remedy has been chosen," Palmer said.

"If you stack the deck prior to choosing a remedy against the thing that looks like it might have community opposition and be very expensive, then that was not a legitimate comparison," he said.

EPA representatives said there would be ample time for more public input after the last meeting. The next CAG meeting is scheduled for April 27 prior to the official public-comment period.

Meanwhile, "We hear you," EPA counsel Juan Farado said during the meeting.

Chatham Township Mayor Tracy Ness recalls "a flurry of action" around the first remedial study, released in 2018, "and then, not."

"It is frustrating," she said of the long-running desire of Chatham Township residents to see the problem resolved. "We are very much looking forward to the feasibility study being fully vetted by the public and hearing about what the ultimate cleanup for the site will be. We hope to have a lot of public participation."

"The ongoing process to clean up Superfund sites continues to be a key issue for the health, safety, and well-being of our communities across New Jersey and particularly NJ-11," said Rep. Mikie Sherrill. "Engagement with community organizations and residents on the best path forward is a crucial part of the EPA process, and I am always encouraged to see these discussions taking place."

Nationwide, approximately $4.7 billion has been spent on Superfund site investigations and cleanups. Most of the money comes from a special account funded by settlement payments with "potentially responsible parties" believed to have caused the contamination.

More than $8.2 billion has been made available in special accounts through the deposit of funds from PRP settlements the EPA said.

The 170-acre Rolling Knolls site has mixed ownership, most by a private family Miele Trust. Another 35 acres are owned by the Department of Interior and reside within the 7,700-acre Great Swamp, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The northeastern portion is owned by the Green Village Fire Department.

A portion of the site was used primarily as a municipal landfill from the early 1930s to 1968 and received waste including household garbage, construction and demolition debris, industrial waste, septic waste and scrap metal.

The following are other sites in Morris County listed by the EPA on the Superfund National Priority List:

Combe Fill South Landfill

The Combe Fill South Landfill covers 80 acres in Chester Township. The area near the landfill is drained by the North Branch of the Raritan River and Lamington River. Trout Brook, a recreational waterway, runs through the site. The state detected various chlorinated hydrocarbons in groundwater and surface water. There is the potential for contaminating drinking wells that tap the underlying Precambrian Gneiss Aquifer. Status: The human health risk assessment was updated in July 2018.

Dover Municipal Well No. 4

The well, in Dover, was one of the town's primary drinking water supply wells until it was taken out of service in 1980 because of groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds.

Status: The EPA demolished a former dry cleaner building in 2007 and three nearby homes in 2008. Soil excavation took place in 2009. Chemical oxidation to treat remaining sources of groundwater contamination began in 2010. Additional rounds of groundwater treatment took place in 2011, 2012, and 2014. The EPA is continuing to monitor the site to determine that concentrations of groundwater contaminants are decreasing.

Dayco Corp./L.E. Carpenter Co.

Dayco Corp./L.E. Carpenter Co. in Wharton is the site of a former vinyl manufacturing facility operated from 1943 to 1987. Its wastes were disposed of in unlined, on-site lagoons about 20 feet from the Rockaway River. Site groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds and site-related contaminants have been found in the river sediment and an adjacent drainage channel.

Status: In 2005, 46,521 tons of contaminated soils and floating products were excavated and removed;13 groundwater monitoring wells were installed. A remedy for the contaminated sediment and a final remedy for the sitewide groundwater will be selected in September 2022.

Millington asbestos dump

The dump in Long Hill is an 11-acre site of a former asbestos manufacturing facility.

Status: The EPA removed the affected White Bridge Road site from the National Priorities List in 2002 and other satellite sites from the list in 2010. Operation and maintenance activities for remedy at the site are ongoing.

Picatinny Arsenal

The arsenal in Rockaway Township has manufactured artillery, ammunition and other weapons since the 1800s. Past disposal practices contaminated surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment and game fish with hazardous chemicals including heavy metals, organic compounds and munitions constituents.

Status: Picatinny is participating in a program established by the Department of Defense to identify, investigate and control the migration of hazardous contaminants at military and other DoD facilities.

Radiation Technology Inc.

Also in Rockaway Township, Radiation Technology is a 263-acre site near Lake Denmark where waste drums containing solvents and other organic chemicals were improperly stored and disposed of.

Status: Contaminated wells on the site were closed after an investigation was completed in 1981. The site's long-term cleanup is ongoing.

Rockaway Borough Well Field

The field site, in Rockaway Township, covers a 2-square-mile area and includes three municipal water supply wells. The contamination there is suspected to have come from a former manufacturing facility and dry-cleaning business.

Status: Installation of a water treatment system by the borough has significantly reduced the threat of exposure to contaminants in borough drinking water while activities leading to the final cleanup take place.

Rockaway Township Wells

Also in Rockaway Township, the wellssite supplied water to Rockaway borough. Status: The remedy here includes extraction of contaminated groundwater and reinjection of treated groundwater and replacement of the township air-stripping system in 2005. The site is being addressed in two long-term remedial phases focused on the cleanup of groundwater and sources of the contamination.
William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven
Sharkey's Landfill

The landfill site in Parsippany, in addition to accepting municipal waste from several counties in northern New Jersey, allegedly received hazardous and toxic materials between 1962 and 1969 from Ciba-Geigy Company. Records indicate that about 560,000 pounds of toluene, 130,000 pounds of benzene, 40,000 pounds of chloroform, 20,000 pounds of methylene chloride and 3,000 pounds of dichloroethylene were disposed of at the site. In 1972, about 25,700 tons of non-chemical wastes and 1,160 tons of liquid and chemical wastes, described as cesspool-type, were deposited there, as was sludge from the adjacent Parsippany sewer utility.

Status: Operation and maintenance activities at the site are ongoing. A five-year review report was issued in 2019.

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Morris County has 10 Superfund sites. One threatens the Great Swamp

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CHATHAM TOWNSHIP - Well-hidden from public view, a federal Superfund site awaits remediation in the residential Green Village section, quite literally extending its potentially toxic impact into the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. New Jersey has the most Superfund sites of any state, 114 as of Feb.

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This is the Web version of an improved Known Contaminated Sites of New Jersey (KCSNJ) report. These reports consider ALL cases and activities at a site.

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NJDEP SRP - Known Contaminated Sites in NJ (KCS-NJ)

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New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Site Remediation Program

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New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Site Remediation Program

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These rules implement the provisions of the Brownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10B-12, and other statutes, by establishing standards for the remediation of contaminated ground water, surface water, soil, soil leachate and indoor air. These rules supplement the requirements of the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation rules, N.J.A.C. 7:26E.

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Remediation Standards
Introduction to Remediation Standards May 2021
These rules implement the provisions of the Brownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10B-12, and other statutes, by establishing standards for the remediation of contaminated ground water, surface water, soil, soil leachate and indoor air. These rules supplement the requirements of the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation rules, N.J.A.C. 7:26E.

On June 2, 2008, the Department adopted new Remediation Standards rules at N.J.A.C. 7:26D. These rules were readopted without change on April 27, 2015. The soil remediation standards contained in those rules were effective on June 2, 2008. The ground water and surface water remediation standards were previously effective at N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.13.

On September 18, 2017, the Department updated the soil remediation standards for 19 contaminants, as listed in N.J.A.C. 7:26D, Appendix 1, Tables 1A and 1B. The updated soil remediation standards reflect revisions to the toxicity information for these contaminants, as contained in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database (see www.epa.gov/iris), on which the soil remediation standards are based.

On May 17, 2021, the Department adopted amended rules at N.J.A.C. 7:26D. Included in the amended rules are soil and soil leachate remediation standards for the migration to ground water exposure pathway and indoor air remediation standards for the vapor intrusion exposure pathway. Also included is the replacement of direct contact soil remediation standards with separate soil remediation standards for the inhalation exposure pathway and the ingestion-dermal exposure pathway. In addition, the rule amendments Expands the existing interim remediation standard process to include soil and soil leachate for the migration to ground water exposure pathway, indoor air for the vapor intrusion exposure pathway, and ground water. Also, the existing process for updating remediation standards has been expanded to include soil and soil leachate for the migration to ground water exposure pathway, indoor air for the vapor intrusion exposure pathway, and ground water. The existing alternative remediation standards process has been expanded to include soil and soil leachate for the migration to ground water exposure pathway and indoor air for the vapor intrusion exposure pathway.
Remediation Standards Phase In/Order of Magnitude Guidance
The Department has revised the following guidance documents that will help remediating parties comply with the new remediation standards:
Basis and Background Documents Guidance Documents Calculators
The Soil and Soil Leachate Migration to Ground Water Exposure Pathway Calculator

This includes the following calculators:

Soil-Water Partition Equation Calculator

Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure Calculator

Dilution-Attenuation Factor Calculator

Fraction Organic Carbon Calculator

Soil Ingestion-Dermal Exposure Pathway Calculator

Soil Inhalation Exposure Pathway Calculator

Vapor Intrusion Exposure Pathway Calculator

The Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbon Ingestion-Dermal Exposure Pathway Calculator:

This includes the following calculators:

Category 2 Sample-Specific Residential

Category 2 Sample-Specific Non-Residential

Category 1 and 2 Alternative Remediation Standards for Soil (based on Land Use Exposure Scenarios)

Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbon Information Chromium Alternative or Interim Remediation Standards and or Screening Level Application Forms
NOTE: The following attainment and compliance documents which pertain specifically to the migration to ground water exposure pathway may be accessed at www.nj.gov/dep/srp/guidance/
Remediation Standards Archive page

Notes

To obtain official copies of these regulations consult the DEP's How to Get Copies of Departmental Rules page.

This is a "courtesy copy" of the rules. For more information, see the NJ Office of Administrative Law's Rules page.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE SPREADSHEETS

To work properly, the spreadsheet files have to be downloaded or saved to your computer first. Your spreadsheet software also needs to have macros enabled for most of the spreadsheets linked from this page.

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NJDEP SRP - Guidance: Remediation Standards

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Introduction to Remediation Standards May 2021 These rules implement the provisions of the Brownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10B-12, and other statutes, by establishing standards for the remediation of contaminated ground water, surface water, soil, soil leachate and indoor air. These rules supplement the requirements of the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation rules, N.J.A.C.

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On December 9, 2010, Governor Chris Christie announced a comprehensive action plan to address the ecological health of the 660-square-mile Barnegat Bay watershed.

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Click on map thumbnail above to enlarge.

Barnegat Bay Phase One:
Governor's Ten-Point Plan
On December 9, 2010, Governor Chris Christie announced a comprehensive action plan to address the ecological health of the 660-square-mile Barnegat Bay watershed. The Administration has been aggressively implementing that plan including progress in scientific research, water quality monitoring and analysis, and implementation of stewardship projects, to storm water management efforts and purchasing of important lands for open space protection. Super Storm Sandy, however, further challenged this already impacted estuary. Barnegat Bay was one of the hardest hit areas in the state. Every municipality in the watershed was affected by the storm. Despite this, DEP and its partners continued to fulfill and carry out the objectives of the Governor's Action Plan. Accomplishments to date include:

Tens of millions of dollars for stormwater infrastructure and upgrades were made available to municipalities and the county;

Ten research projects were funded, the results of which will create one of the most comprehensive compilations of research on a single estuary;

Implementation of the toughest fertilizer law in the nation and standards for soil health and restoration have been proposed;

New Jersey's first comprehensive water monitoring network for both fresh and marine water quality was established with over 5,000 water samples taken and analyzed;

Acquision of more than 3,000 acres of open space in the Barnegat Bay watershed and a commitment to purchase 30,000 acres over the next 30 years;

A comprehensive public education program has been developed to raise awareness of the importance of the health of Barnegat Bay;

Five successful watershed-wide cleanups (the "Barnegat Bay Blitz") have been conducted resulting in thousands of pounds of litter being picked up, and

Three green boater compliance sweeps were conducted by State Park Police with the assistance of Conservation Officers, State Police and local police resulting in hundreds of stops where either warnings or summonses were issued.

For more information on each action item, click on the links below:

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Click on map thumbnail above to enlarge. Barnegat Bay Phase One:Governor's Ten-Point Plan On December 9, 2010, Governor Chris Christie announced a comprehensive action plan to address the ecological health of the 660-square-mile Barnegat Bay watershed.

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A study by the US Geological Survey estimated that about 1.4 million pounds of nitrogen enter the Barnegat Bay every year, with most of that coming from the fertilizers used on land. This overloading of nitrogen in the bay is causing the excessive growth of algae and phytoplankton and upsetting the balance in the bay’s ecosystem.

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An aerial image of Barnegat Bay looking north with Barnegat Inlet at the bottom of the photo.

The Barnegat Bay is a special place - a favorite destination for both New Jersey residents and the tourists who visit. People head down to the bay to go sailing, kayaking, boating, and paddleboarding. Fishing, crabbing, and clamming put food on the table and provide families with countless hours of fun on the water.

Tourism, commercial and recreational fishing, boating, and many other income-producing activities make the Barnegat Bay an economic powerhouse. According to an economic study prepared for the Barnegat Bay Partnership by University of Delaware researchers in 2012, the Barnegat Bay and its watershed contribute over $4 billion each year to New Jersey's economy.

Development Changes the Bay

The Barnegat Bay is an estuary - a mix of salt water from the Atlantic Ocean and fresh water from the rivers and groundwater draining into it. The land area (over 660 square miles) draining fresh water into the bay is called its watershed.

Development is changing the Barnegat Bay watershed. Water-absorbing natural features like forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands have been replaced by hard surfaces like buildings, streets, and parking lots. In fact, almost one-third of the watershed is now covered by these impervious surfaces.

As developed land has increased in the Barnegat Bay watershed, so has the amount of pollution flowing into the bay. Rainwater and melting snow run off the hard surfaces of buildings and paved areas instead of soaking into the ground. This storm water carries pollutants like lawn chemicals, pet waste, oil spills, road salt, and litter down roadway storm drains and into the streams and rivers which eventually enter the Barnegat Bay.

Nitrogen Overload

The bay is also a special place for the fishes, crabs, birds, mammals, and other wildlife which live there. They depend on the bay for food and shelter and as a "nursery" for raising their young.

A study by the US Geological Survey estimated that about 1.4 million pounds of nitrogen enter the Barnegat Bay every year, with most of that coming from the fertilizers used on land. This overloading of nitrogen in the bay is causing the excessive growth of algae and phytoplankton and upsetting the balance in the bay's ecosystem.

An underwater photo in Barnegat Bay shows heavy algae growth. © Mark Yokoyama

As aquatic plants die, their decay uses oxygen dissolved in the water. With excessive algae and phytoplankton decomposing in the bay, oxygen levels can drop to levels too low to sustain many of the fish and other animal species that make the bay their home. These low oxygen levels can lead to fish kills and changes in the types of wildlife able to survive in the bay.

Fertilizer-fueled growth of algae and phytoplankton hurts the bay's wildlife in another way. It can make the water more "turbid," or cloudy, blocking sunlight from reaching submerged plants called eelgrass. Fish, shellfish, crabs, and other bay animals depend on eelgrass beds for food and shelter and as a nursery area for their young. Any loss of this critical habitat has a ripple effect on wildlife populations throughout the bay.

Learn More: Fertilizers in Our Waterways

Jellyfish in the Bay

One obvious change in the Barnegat Bay has been an increase in populations of bay nettle jellyfish ( Chrysaora chesapeakei). Swimmers, boaters, clammers, and other bay users are well aware of their painful sting and concerned about their growing numbers.

The impact of nitrogen pollution is one of a number of possible causes, or combination of causes, suggested by scientists for the rise in bay nettle populations. Scientists continue to conduct research to answer questions about jellyfish in the bay. In the meantime, the increasing populations of bay nettles have become a symbol of the changes in the Barnegat Bay ecosystem.

A National Estuary Program for Barnegat Bay

The National Estuary Program (NEP) promotes the conservation and management of nationally significant estuaries threatened by pollution, development, or overuse. One of the 28 National Estuary Programs, the Barnegat Bay Partnership has over 30 partners - government agencies, academic institutions, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups - all working together for cleaner water and a healthier ecosystem in the Barnegat Bay.

New Jersey's Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Bay

In 2010, Governor Chris Christie announced a Comprehensive Plan of Action for Barnegat Bay detailing ten action items to address the changes in the bay's condition. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the Barnegat Bay Partnership, and many other partners are taking action on the items in the plan through research, education, planning, land acquisition, legislation, and stormwater management projects.
Jersey-Friendly Yards - An Investment in the Future of the Barnegat Bay
These efforts can only be successful with the help of everyone in the watershed. By using fertilizer responsibly, restoring soil health, and following other steps to a Jersey-Friendly Yard, property owners can help reduce the amount of pollution reaching the bay and make a major contribution toward restoring its health.

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The Decline of Barnegat Bay - Jersey-Friendly Yards

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The Barnegat Bay is a special place - a favorite destination for both New Jersey residents and the tourists who visit. People head down to the bay to go sailing, kayaking, boating, and paddleboarding. Fishing, crabbing, and clamming put food on the table and provide families with countless hours of fun on the water.

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Barnegat Bay beaches: They top an environmental group list for the wrong reasons

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Barnegat Bay beaches: They top an environmental group list for the wrong reasons

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Beaches in Ocean County were found to be potentially unsafe for swimmers about 3% of days in 2020, more than Cape May County (2% of days), Atlantic County (1%) and Monmouth County (0%), according to the report by Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center.

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Beaches around Barnegat Bay remain plagued by pollution and had more days of high bacteria levels than other ocean and bay beaches across New Jersey, according to a new report released Thursday.

Beaches in Ocean County were found to be potentially unsafe for swimmers about 3% of days in 2020, more than Cape May County (2% of days), Atlantic County (1%) and Monmouth County (0%), according to the report by Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center.

The release of the report coincided with a vote by Congress to approve an infrastructure spending package that would include funding for runoff and wastewater treatment.

Elsewhere: EPA yanking Toms River Reich Farm from Superfund list; water tests planned until 2023

The Barnegat Bay beaches had more days of potentially unsafe bacteria than bay and ocean beaches across the rest of the state.

Water conditions at the Fifth Avenue bayside beach in Seaside Park were potentially unsafe 14 out of 30 days tested, or 47% of the time, according to the report.

Long Beach Township's bay beach had potentially unsafe swimming conditions four out of 14 days tested, or 29% of the time. Surf City's bay beach was found to be potentially unsafe for swimmers four out of 17 days tested, or 24% of the time, according to the report.

Lawsuit: This Keyport dump closed decades ago; its trash still pollutes Raritan Bay

Beachwood's Beach West, which Environment New Jersey found to be the dirtiest beach in last year's report, was not given a percentage because it was closed for pollution testing for much of 2020.

"One day of a beach closing is too many," Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center, said in a statement. "We need to keep our beaches safe for swimming by working with Shore towns to build the infrastructure that will keep the water clean."

The report authors analyzed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Beach Action Values" from sampling sites across New Jersey.

The EPA values estimate the bacteria threshold that would result in an estimated illness rate of 32 out of every 1,000 swimmers. The federal agency uses the beach action values as an early warning sign of bacterial pollution, particularly for children and immunocompromised people who are more likely to get sick exposure.

Bathing beaches in New Jersey are tested each week for Enterococci bacteria, a microbe that is found in the feces and digestive systems of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The bacteria is used as an "indicator" species for other, illness causing pathogens that are also found in feces, such as E. coli, viruses and parasites.

Most of that pollution stems from wildlife, farms, storm runoff and sewage leaks, according to Environment New Jersey's report. The organization's report recommends Congress approve a $40 billion spending measure within the " INVEST in America Act" that would provide low-cost financing for clean water infrastructure projects for five years.

Congress passed the measure on Thursday morning, primarily along party lines. Two Republicans voted for the INVEST in America Act along with 219 Democrats, while 201 Republicans voted against it.

Environmentalists called for municipalities and homeowners to take action too, for towns to adopt low-impact development ordinances and for homeowners to garden with water-quality health in mind.

'This is a cesspool': Who removes rotting fish corpses along Shrewsbury, Navesink rivers?

"Every year, this report has shown that New Jersey needs to do more to protect our coast and bays from chronic pollution, runoff from fertilizers and septics, and old leaky sewer pipes," Taylor McFarland, acting director of the environmental advocacy group Sierra Club New Jersey, said in a statement.

She said: "It's time for the Murphy Administration and the NJDEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) to wake up and smell the sewage."
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

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Barnegat Bay beaches: They top an environmental group list for the wrong reasons

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Beaches around Barnegat Bay remain plagued by pollution and had more days of high bacteria levels than other ocean and bay beaches across New Jersey, according to a new report released Thursday.

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Hurricane Ida’s remnants smacked New Jersey with such intensity — 2 to 3 inches of rainfall per hour in some regions — that many residents were hopelessly trapped in their cars or low-lying homes, despite incessant iPhone alerts and meteorologists warning of historic consequences.

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Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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The forecast spelled doom. So why wasn’t N.J. ready for Ida?

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Ida’s remnants smashed the Garden State. Did it have to be so deadly?

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he Climate Change Resilience Strategy outlines six state priorities to guide state and local government climate action and includes over 100 recommendations to strengthen New Jersey against climate impacts, including sea-level rise, chronic flooding, rising temperatures, and more frequent and intense storm events.

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TRENTON - Governor Phil Murphy's Interagency Council on Climate Resilience today released the final version of the state's first Climate Change Resiliency Strategy, a science-based blueprint for protecting New Jersey's vulnerable communities, environment, economy, and infrastructure from the impacts of climate change.
The Climate Change Resilience Strategy outlines six state priorities to guide state and local government climate action and includes over 100 recommendations to strengthen New Jersey against climate impacts, including sea-level rise, chronic flooding, rising temperatures, and more frequent and intense storm events. The plan, which was first released for public review and comment on Earth Day, will be a working document supported by a continued robust public engagement process to address the ongoing climate threats to New Jersey. In October 2019, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 89, which appointed the state's first Chief Resilience Officer, established an Interagency Council on Climate Resilience, and directed the Department of Environmental Protection to develop the strategy.

"Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat facing humanity, and as Tropical Storm Ida made painfully clear in September, New Jersey's climate change risks are already manifesting across the state," said Governor Murphy. "These risks will only worsen in the years to come, with potentially devastating impacts to our communities, economy, public health, and the daily lives of all New Jerseyans. The Climate Change Resiliency Strategy outlines decisive and intentional action that will secure a more climate resilient future for New Jersey."

"Hurricane Ida and other storm events this summer have made it clear that climate change is affecting New Jersey now, which makes today's release of the State's Climate Change Resiliency Strategy all the more critical for people's safety, health, and economic well-being," said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. "I am committed to working with Governor Murphy to put this strategy into action across state government to make New Jersey's communities more resilient against climate change. The challenges posed by climate change are immense and, at times, overwhelming, but our Climate Change Resiliency Strategy gives us a path forward to building stronger communities and a stronger state."

"The devastating effects of climate change demand that we act with concerted urgency to promote and secure a more climate resilient future for New Jersey," said Jane Cohen, Director, Governor's Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. "The work of Interagency Council on Climate Resilience highlights the complexity of the climate challenges ahead of us and the necessity of working collaboratively to coordinate the state's response to climate change. By developing the Strategy through the Council, we are laying the groundwork to protect New Jersey's people, economy, and infrastructure through its resilience work for years to come."

"The Murphy Administration recognizes that climate change is the single greatest long-term threat to the people, communities and economy of New Jersey," said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. "In developing this inaugural edition of Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy, the Interagency Council on Climate Resilience has created the blueprint that will guide the State's efforts to make our communities, infrastructure and economy more resilient to the adverse impacts of climate change."

"The comprehensive Climate Change Resilience Strategy, which relies on the best available science, the expertise and experience of the Climate Change Interagency Council members, and public comment, details actions for adapting to climate change in New Jersey," said David Rosenblatt, Chief Resilience Officer and the DEP's Assistant Commissioner for Climate and Flood Resilience. "We look forward to our continued engagement with state and local governmental agencies, universities, and the public to further develop and implement these actions."

The statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy's six priorities are the following:

1. Build Resilient and Healthy Communities
2. Strengthen the Resilience of New Jersey's Ecosystems
3. Promote Coordinated Governance
4. Invest in Information and Increase Public Understanding
5. Expand Resilience Funding and Financing
6. Coastal Resilience Plan

The Strategy was developed over the last two years by Governor Murphy's Interagency Council on Climate Resilience, which is comprised of 17 state agencies and charged with developing short- and long-term action plans to promote the mitigation, adaptation, and resilience of New Jersey against climate change. In addition to the strategy document, the Murphy Administration has also developed a suite of other reports about responding to the effects of global warming and climate change, including the Energy Master Plan, Scientific Report on Climate Change and Global Warming Response Act 80X50 Report.

"Climate change has far-reaching impacts and often tragically hits the most vulnerable residents the hardest, including lower-income families, older adults, those with pre-existing health conditions and individuals with disabilities," said New Jersey Department of Human Services Acting Commissioner Sarah Adelman. "With this plan, we are working toward more resilient communities and a stronger and safer New Jersey for everyone, no matter their circumstance."

"We cannot achieve environmental justice in New Jersey unless we confront the real and growing threat of climate change," said Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck. "The Climate Change Resilience Strategy is a landmark document that prepares New Jersey and its residents for a changing climate, and the Attorney General's Office stands ready to support Governor Murphy and the rest of the Administration in carrying out this plan."

"NJOEM remains committed to working with our local, county, and state partners to address the impacts of climate change in our communities. We will continue increasing our capacity to plan for, respond to, and ultimately mitigate the impacts of a worsening climate," said Colonel Patrick Callahan. "As New Jersey rebuilds and recovers to become more resilient, we continue leveraging partnerships to achieve our goals and integrate climate change adaptation strategies into how we respond to natural hazards that leave us less vulnerable to future climate extremes."

"Recent storms that impacted our state demonstrate the significant threat climate change poses, specifically to the State of New Jersey," said New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride. "Under Governor Murphy's leadership, the administration has developed a comprehensive strategy to protect our communities, businesses, infrastructure and the environment from the harmful effects of climate change. We look forward to continuing to advance this strategy to improve our resiliency and better protect our state."

"Climate change is an ever-present and growing threat to our state and our transit system," said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. "Governor Murphy's Climate Change Resiliency Strategy is essential to ensuring our infrastructure withstands the impacts of increasingly frequent and violent weather events that are a direct result of climate change."

"With extreme weather events becoming less predictable, more intense, and threatening more extensive damage to our infrastructure, it is clear that climate change is an existential crisis," said Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY & NJ. "The Port Authority takes climate action very seriously, and we are committed to working with our state and local partners to reduce climate risks and protect critical transportation assets across the region. We are completely supportive of the initiatives laid out in the State of New Jersey's Climate Change Resiliency Strategy."

"The BPU commends Governor Murphy and applauds our sister agencies on the completion of the Climate Change Resiliency Strategy designed to address the effects of climate change on our state," said Joseph L. Fiordaliso, President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. "Hurricane Ida illustrated that while there has been great progress in strengthening the state infrastructure, more work remains to be done. The Strategy provides a blueprint to continue our work to create healthier communities for generations to come."

"The severe weather we have experienced recently demonstrates how devasting the effect of climate change can be on our transportation network throughout New Jersey," said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. "NJDOT is committed to continued collaboration with our partner agencies, to address these impacts through the development and application of environmentally beneficial approaches to keeping our transportation system efficient and in a state of good repair."

"Agriculture and farmland play a vital role in our state's climate change resiliency strategy, including implementation of on-farm practices that lead to more efficient use of water and protection of the soil on our farms and privately held woodlands," said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher.

"Treasury is proud to partner with our fellow agencies in this endeavor, and we strongly support the belief that the physical, environmental and economic health of our state are intrinsically connected," said State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio. "We look forward to our continued collaboration as members of Governor Murphy's Interagency Council on Climate Resilience to support the Climate Change Resiliency Strategy and work to build a stronger, more resilient New Jersey."

"As the first public transportation agency in the country to embrace the Paris Climate Accords, the Port Authority is fully committed to the long-term resilience of our region in the face of climate change," said Kevin O'Toole, Chairman of the Port Authority of NY & NJ. "The increase in the frequency and intensity of storms and flooding is a threat to the lives and livelihoods of the millions of people who reside in the Port District. We applaud the State of New Jersey for the forward-looking strategies outlined in the Climate Change Resiliency Strategy which will complement many of the resiliency efforts the Port Authority is already engaged in to mitigate threats to the region's infrastructure and economy at large."

"Recent extreme weather from tornadoes, hurricanes and floods reminds us how urgent it is to implement the strategies in this report," said New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. "Climate change exacerbates existing health disparities in our most vulnerable communities so our solutions must be applied with an equity lens."

"Our ability as a state to anticipate and plan for the impacts of climate change is critical to ensuring protection of many vital resources, including drinking water," said Highlands Council Executive Director Lisa J. Plevin. "The New Jersey Highlands region is the source of drinking water for about 70 percent of the state's residents, so incorporating strategies that address inland impacts is essential to a comprehensive Climate Change Resiliency Strategy. The Highlands Council is already moving forward with efforts to support local governments in the Highlands region as they plan for this important challenge."

"As we've witnessed in the last few months, the worldwide effects of climate change have a direct - and localized - impact on the economic strength of our state," said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. "By working with our partners in the public and private sectors to implement the steps outlined in the Governor's Climate Change Resilience Strategy, we can help mitigate the environmental harm created by global warming while simultaneously creating new jobs within the clean energy and related sectors."

To view the statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy, visit https://www.nj.gov/dep/climatechange/resilience-strategy.html.

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Murphy Administration Releases Final Climate Change Resiliency Strategy to Protect New Jersey's Communities, Environment, and Infrastructure from Climate Change - Insider NJ

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Murphy Administration Releases Final Climate Change Resiliency Strategy to Protect New Jersey's Communities, Environment, and Infrastructure from Climate Change 10/12/2021 TRENTON - Governor Phil Murphy's Interagency Council on Climate Resilience today released the final version of the state's first Climate Change Resiliency Strategy, a science-based blueprint for protecting New Jersey's vulnerable communities, environment, economy, and infrastructure from the[...]

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The foundation for a thriving coastal economy is based on the integration of human needs with a healthy coastal environment. New Jersey’s ocean, bays, beaches, dunes, and salt marshes play an important ecological, as well as economic, role. Beaches support threatened and endangered nesting birds and are a main attraction for millions of summer tourists that visit “The Jersey Shore” each year.

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Banner photo: Jim Wright/LightHawk

Overview

Today, New Jersey faces a changing climate, specifically accelerating sea level rise and more frequent and intense coastal storms. These challenges, and others, place both coastal habitats and communities at risk. Storms like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene have brought attention to the need to increase the resiliency of our coastal communities. Superstorm Sandy resulted in over $50 billion in damage, with more than half-$37 billion-in New Jersey. New Jersey is considered a hot spot for sea level rise, and nuisance flooding.

Federal, state, and local governments along with residents, face difficult choices on how best to manage an ever-changing coast. To reduce risk for coastal communities, proper planning and tools are needed to make better policy, management, and conservation decisions for the benefit of people and nature.

Coastal Resilience Tool-kit

The Nature Conservancy and its partners have developed a collection of web-based tools that empower communities to identify nature-based solutions to coastal hazards. Applications such as the Restoration Explorer and Future Habitat, allow users to visualize current and future conditions and explore a range of options for addressing coastal hazards in a way that also promotes healthy coastal habitats.

Restoration Explorer

The Restoration Explorer is a web-based decision support tool, that empowers communities to visualize what types of "Living Shoreline" techniques may be appropriate at a given location along the coast. Living Shorelines are an alternative approach to shoreline stabilization, using natural elements like native vegetation, dunes, and oyster reefs to buffer the shoreline from the effects of waves and currents, while maintaining the inter tidal connection between land and water. Traditional shoreline protection techniques like bulkheads and sea-walls (so-called hardened shorelines) reflect wave energy into the surrounding environment causing scour and damage to aquatic habitats. As more and more of our shoreline becomes "hardened", these habitats eventually disappear, along with the benefits they provide.

The Restoration Explorer combines engineering criteria developed by The Stevens Institute of Technology and geo-spatial data on current shoreline conditions from Rutgers University, to help communities visualize where a living shoreline project may be appropriate. For more info on how to use the Restoration Explorer check out the User Guide, which contains step-by-step instructions on how it works. You can also view a short video tutorial here.

Shoreline enhancement projects have a variety of ecological and engineering requirements and can often be mixed and matched to tailor project designs to local conditions. At times, they can also be combined with more traditional hardened structures. It is important to consult with ecologists and engineers to determine the specific design requirements for any proposed project. It is also important to consult with Federal, State, and local officials regarding permitting requirements.

Future Habitat App

Habitats like salt marshes have the ability to move further inland as sea-level rises. This depends on several factors including: the amount of sediment accumulating on the marsh, the rate of sea level rise, and whether or not there are physical obstacles preventing wetlands from moving inland. By depicting various tidal marsh advancement scenarios, the Future Habitat App allows communities to better understand where marshes may be lost in the future.

Resources

For the latest reports, papers and other publications on coastal resilience in New Jersey visit the Coastal Resilience Resource Library on the Conservation Gateway. Click here to be redirected to the Resource Library for the latest reports, papers and other publications on coastal resilience in New Jersey.

New Jersey Coastal Resilience Mapping and Decision Support Tool

A Community Resource Guide for Planning Living Shorelines Projects. Doerr, P. The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Chapter. Delmont, NJ. (2016)

A Guide for Incorporating Ecosystem Service Valuation into Coastal Restoration Projects. Schuster, E. and Doerr, P.The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Chapter. Delmont, NJ. (2015)

Lower Cape May Meadows Ecological Restoration: Analysis of Economic and Social Benefits. Schuster, E. The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Chapter. Delmont, NJ.(2014)

Ecosystem Services of South Cape May Meadows

The South Cape May Meadows project, completed in 2007, included restoring the beach, dune, and wetland as well as installing a water management system. To show how important it has been, we completed an economic study of the South Cape May Meadows restoration and our results uniquely provide data showing that nature has real value. That value comes in the form of flooding protection in Cape May Point, which will be at least $2,000,000 and could be as high as $17,300,000 in damages avoided to homes over the next 50 years. Even more, given that it restored prime habitat for migratory birds, South Cape May Meadows also brings in an estimated $313 million in additional revenue each year from birders visiting the area. The South Cape May Meadows restoration reinforces that healthy natural landscapes benefit our communities in many ways, including financially, and that investing in nature pays off.

Links to relevant Cool Green Science Blogs
http://blog.nature.org/science/2014/08/13/ecological-restoration-birds-birders-economic-development-nature/ http://blog.nature.org/science/2014/08/14/ecological-restoration-coastal-nature-flooding-resilience/
Gandy's Beach Oyster Reef Breakwater

Natural features, like oyster reefs, can play an important role for coastal communities that are dealing with challenges like storm-related erosion and flooding. We've teamed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary and Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Research Lab to install a living shoreline consisting of an oyster reef breakwater at TNC's Gandy's Beach Preserve along the Delaware Bay. The project involves planning, engineering, construction, and monitoring of nearly 3,000 feet of oyster reef to help reduce local erosion problems and enhance habitat for species like horseshoe crabs and red knots.

The reef was constructed from a combination of materials, including "oyster castles," stackable, interlocking blocks of concrete that encourage oysters to attach and grow, as well as bagged oyster shells collected as part of a shell recycling program with Dock's Oyster House in Atlantic City.

The oyster reef breakwaters provide a multitude of benefits, including filtering water, providing habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries, and reducing the energy of waves as they move towards shore, which means less erosion for the coastline. The benefits will continue to grow as the oyster reef becomes "self-sustaining," meaning it will continue to grow each year as oyster larvae settle and mature. New oysters will attach and grow on our reefs, building the population of oysters at the site for years.

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Banner photo: Jim Wright/LightHawk Today, New Jersey faces a changing climate, specifically accelerating sea level rise and more frequent and intense coastal storms. These challenges, and others, place both coastal habitats and communities at risk. Storms like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene have brought attention to the need to increase the resiliency of our coastal communities.

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NJ takes steps to double its solar power

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NJ takes steps to double its solar power

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State officials approved a plan they say will drastically increase New Jersey’s capacity for solar energy.

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State officials approved a plan they say will drastically increase New Jersey's capacity for solar energy.

The Board of Public Utilities unanimously voted Wednesday to launch a new incentive program that aims to add 3,750 megawatts of solar energy by 2026, which the BPU says would double the state's capacity.

"We are solidifying New Jersey as a magnet for green jobs and taking yet another step toward Gov. (Phil) Murphy's goal of 100% clean energy by 2050," said BPU President Joseph Fiordaliso in a statement. "This tremendous action has taken many perspectives into consideration and ensures the solar industry will remain a vibrant part of our clean energy innovation economy while prioritizing long-term affordability for ratepayers."

Like much of Murphy's clean energy agenda - including electrifying New Jersey's cars - this plan is ambitious. The BPU says the state has 143,555 solar installations that generate nearly 3,700 megawatts of energy, enough to power 1.5 million homes. To reach the goals laid out on Wednesday, those numbers would have to double in five years.

If the state succeeds, N.J. figures to generate about 10% of its total energy from the sun by 2026. Murphy has called for solar to comprise 34% of all the state's energy by 2050, by which point the governor wants the state to run completely on clean energy.

The new plan, called the Successor Solar Incentive Program, replaces the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate program, which allowed owners of solar panels to claim energy credits that they could then sell. The state's 2018 Clean Energy Act mandated the initial certificate program be phased out, though the new incentives also include sellable credits.

"The incentives in the New Jersey BPU's new Successor Solar Incentive Program will boost affordable renewable energy in New Jersey and empower the state's community solar projects to create the next-generation workforce necessary for New Jersey's clean energy economy," said Shaun Keegan, CEO of Asbury Park-based Solar Landscape, in a statement. "In addition, the increased incentives to support community solar adoption by low- and moderate-income households pairs the innovation in the renewable energy sector with New Jersey's environmental justice goals."

The new program will take effect Aug. 28. For solar installations that generate 5 megawatts or less of power, which includes most residential and commercial projects, the state will issue credits worth between $70 and $120 per megawatt hour of energy produced, with additional credits available to public buildings. That's a substantial decrease from the old program's credit of $220 per megawatt hour.

Solar projects larger than 5 megawatts will have a separate incentive program that is expected to launch next year, according to the BPU.

While solar power is a big piece of Murphy's clean energy plan, the state has also been taking steps on wind power and electric vehicles. The state has approved three offshore wind farms in the past few years that, once completed, figure to generate about 3,700 megawatts.

Earlier this month, the state also restarted a rebate program for New Jersey drivers who buy electric vehicles.

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N.J. takes steps to double its solar power

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State officials approved a plan they say will drastically increase New Jersey's capacity for solar energy. The Board of Public Utilities unanimously voted Wednesday to launch a new incentive program that aims to add 3,750 megawatts of solar energy by 2026, which the BPU says would double the state's capacity.

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Murphy signs laws to spur solar energy, electric vehicles in N.J.’s climate change fight

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Murphy signs laws to spur solar energy, electric vehicles in N.J.’s climate change fight

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The $46.4 billion state budget that Murphy recently signed includes $2 million to Rutgers for a “Solar Energy and Agricultural Production Demonstration Project.”

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Gov. Phil Murphy noticed a problem as he sat down Friday during an outdoor event in Seaside Heights to sign a package of bills aiming to boost clean energy and combat climate change in New Jersey.

His black pens were scorching after sitting out in the sun.

"I'm not sure I could hold this in my hand long enough to sign the darn bill," Murphy said in a moment suiting the event's message, at one point suggesting he might even need a glove.

The Democratic governor was handed some cooler pens instead to usher four bills into law focused on increasing solar energy and building more infrastructure for electric vehicles in the Garden State.

Murphy said the measures are part of his administration's goal to get 50% of its power from clean sources by 2030 and 100% by 2050.

"Today we are taking several more big steps forward," he said before signing the bills in a parking lot with electric vehicle charging stations, not far from the beach in the Jersey Shore borough.

Murphy noted that climate change is a "direct threat to Shore communities" and farming industries in the state.

"Meeting this ambitious goal requires us to think broadly and to find ways to chip away at our fossil fuel addiction one solar panel and one electric vehicle charging station at a time," he said.

The governor also said the legislation will "drive significant economic growth and create good-paying, union jobs across the state."

The laws are:

S3484, which establishes a "dual-use" solar project pilot program for unpreserved farmland. It passed with bipartisan support in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

S2605, which establishes a new program for solar renewable energy certificates under the state Board of Public Utilities. It passed largely along party lines.

S3223, which establishes requirements and zoning standards for the installation of electric vehicle supply equipment and parking spaces. It passed largely along party lines.

A1653, which encourages the development of zero-emission vehicle fueling and charging infrastructure in redevelopment projects. It passed with bipartisan support.

State Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, a sponsor of the legislation, called this a "really, really great day for New Jersey."

"We are on the cusp of becoming pieces of bacon," Smith said. "The global climate change thing is real. It's not baloney. Look around the planet. We've got major, major problems. ... You have a very limited time to get this right."

Taylor McFarland, acting director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club praised three of the bills, saying they will push the state in the right direction for solar energy, preserving farmland, and encouraging electric vehicle use.

But she pushed back against the final measure, saying it will "thwart the state's effort to move forward" with electric vehicles because it "encourages zero-emission vehicles which are powered by hydrogen fuel cells," which she said require natural gas in their production.

State Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher said the laws strike a "very good balance" between "maintaining our best agricultural lands while at the same time advancing the state's Energy Master Plan." He added the state Department of Agriculture is working closing with the BPU and Rutgers University to "ensure the best possible outcomes are achieved."

The $46.4 billion state budget that Murphy recently signed includes $2 million to Rutgers for a "Solar Energy and Agricultural Production Demonstration Project."
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

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Murphy signs laws to spur solar energy, electric vehicles in N.J.'s climate change fight

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Gov. Phil Murphy noticed a problem as he sat down Friday during an outdoor event in Seaside Heights to sign a package of bills aiming to boost clean energy and combat climate change in New Jersey. His black pens were scorching after sitting out in the sun.

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New Jersey is advancing and diversifying its clean energy portfolio through leadership and strong policy. New Jersey has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards in the country by requiring 35% of the energy sold in the state come from qualifying energy sources by 2025 and 50% by 2030. Promoting a diverse portfolio of new clean in-state generation will lessen dependence on fossil fuels, help grow the state’s economy, reduce emissions and combat climate change.

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New Jersey's Clean Energy Picture

New Jersey is advancing and diversifying its clean energy portfolio through leadership and strong policy. New Jersey has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards in the country by requiring 35% of the energy sold in the state come from qualifying energy sources by 2025 and 50% by 2030. Promoting a diverse portfolio of new clean in-state generation will lessen dependence on fossil fuels, help grow the state's economy, reduce emissions and combat climate change.

New Jersey's Policy Timeline

Electric Discount & Energy Competition Act

The Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (January 1999) established New Jersey's Renewable Portfolio Standard and the Societal Benefits Charge . Today, New Jersey's Renewable Portfolio Standards has become one of the most aggressive in the United States, requiring that each electricity supplier serving retail customers in the state procure 35% the electricity it sells in New Jersey from qualified renewable energy resources by 2025 and 50% by 2030. New Jersey established the Renewable Portfolio Standard to drive the market deployment of new clean energy technologies, recognizing that expansion of renewable energy generation would provide significant economic development and environmental benefits, thereby helping to satisfy New Jersey's air quality and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

On January 29, 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 7 directing the Department of Environmental Protection and the Board of Public Utilities to take all necessary regulatory and administrative measures to ensure New Jersey's timely return to full participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). To learn more about RGGI click here.

The Global Warming Response Act at N.J.S.A. 26:2C-37, calls for a reduction of statewide greenhouse gas emissions to 80% below 2006 levels by 2050, a total of 25.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e). It requires the Department of Environmental Protection to establish a greenhouse gas inventory and continue to monitor and report Statewide emissions. According to the latest greenhouse gas emissions estimate (2015), statewide releases were a little over 100 MMT CO2e, with close to 90% coming from the combustion of fossil fuels to satisfy energy demand and transportation.

In August 2010, the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act was signed into law. The Act advised the Board of Public Utilities to establish a program for Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates to incentivize the development of offshore wind facilities.

January 31st, 2018, Governor Phil Murphy Signed Executive Order 8 which directs all New Jersey state agencies with responsibilities under the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act to fully implement the act in order to meet a goal of obtaining 3,500 MW from offshore wind by the year 2030.

Governor Phil Murphy, alongside First Lady Tammy Murphy and former Vice President Al Gore at the Liberty Science Center, signed Executive Order No. 92, raising New Jersey's offshore wind goal from 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind-generated electricity by 2030 to 7,500 megawatts by 2035.

On January 27, 2020, Governor Murphy unveiled the state's Energy Master Plan, which outlines key strategies to reach the Administration's goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. In May 2018, Governor Murphy's Executive Order No. 28 directed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, in partnership with other state agencies, to develop this statewide clean energy plan and shift away from energy production that contributes to climate change.

As part of a new vision for a sustainable future, the Energy Master Plan will reflect new goals for the state:

Strategy 1: Reducing Energy Consumption and Emissions from the Transportation Sector
Strategy 2: Accelerating Deployment of Renewable Energy and Distributed Energy Resources
Strategy 3: Maximizing Energy Efficiency and Conservation and Reducing Peak Demand
Strategy 4: Reducing Energy Consumption and Emissions from the Building Sector
Strategy 5: Decarbonizing and Modernizing New Jersey's Energy System
Strategy 6: Supporting Community Energy Planning and Action in Underserved Communities
Strategy 7: Expand the Clean Energy Innovation Economy

The Solar Act of 2012 P.L. 2012, c.24 amends certain aspects of the statute that governs the generation, interconnection and financing of renewable energy and mandated that 4.1% of electricity sales must come from solar by 2028. The Solar Act requires the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to conduct proceedings to establish new standards and to develop new programs to implement the Act's overall goals to stabilize the Solar Renewable Energy Credits market and continue growth in the solar industry. Updated by the Clean Energy Act (see below) the solar Renewable Portfolio Standard is now 5.1% by 2021.

On May 23, 2018 Governor Murphy signed the Clean Energy Act P.L.2018, c.17. The Clean Energy Act takes several critical steps to improve and expand New Jersey's renewable energy programs. Changes include;

Renewable Portfolio Standard: Establishes one of the most ambitious in the country by requiring 35% of the energy sold in the state come from qualifying energy sources by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

Solar: Accelerates the solar RPS to 5.1% by 2021 and establishes a Community Solar Energy Pilot Program.

Offshore Wind: Codifies the Governor's goal of 3,500 MW of offshore wind by 2030 and reinstates an expired program to provide tax credits for offshore wind manufacturing activities.

Energy Efficiency: Requires each utility to implement energy efficiency measures to reduce electricity usage by 2% and natural gas usage by 0.75%.

Energy Storage: Codifies the Governor's goal of achieving 600 MW of energy storage by 2021 and 2,000 MW by 2030.

New Jersey's Electricity Generation and the Role of Renewables
New Jersey is a national leader in reducing emissions from the electric power sector. From 2011 to 2016, New Jersey achieved a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel for electricity generation, while decreasing its reliance on coal by almost 70%. New Jersey's in-state electricity generation is among the cleanest in the nation. In 2017, New Jersey's CO2 emissions rate was 492 lb/MWh, which is significantly lower than the PJM system average of 948 lb/MWh.

Our quality of life and economy depend on the availability of large amounts of energy, most of which comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include coal, natural gas and a variety of liquid fuels, such as gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil, that are derived from petroleum. We use considerable amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation; we use heating oil and natural gas for heating our buildings, and we use electricity in a variety of ways, including manufacturing, heating and cooling, lighting and in communications. A significant portion of electricity is generated by the combustion of fossil fuels, mostly natural gas. Fossil fuels are not renewable, which means that at some point they will become depleted and increasingly costly. In addition, combustion of fossil fuels releases air pollutants, including ozone precursors such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs); acid rain precursors including NOx and sulfur dioxide (SO2); various toxins such as mercury; and carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.

Unlike fossil fuel combustion, renewable energy sources provide energy with much lower overall emissions resulting in positive environmental and public health benefits. Promoting a diverse portfolio of new clean in-state generation will lessen dependence on imported fuels, protect the state's environment, help grow the state's economy and lower energy costs.
New Jersey Electricity Generation by Fuel Type Other includes non-biogenic municipal solid waste, batteries, hydrogen, purchased steam, sulfur, tire-derived fuel, and other miscellaneous energy sources.
Natural gas includes Other Gas, such as blast furnace gas and other manufactured and waste gases derived from fossil fuels.
Petroleum includes Petroleum Liquids and Petroleum Coke. Petroleum Liquids includes distillate and residual fuel oils, jet fuel, kerosene, waste oil, and beginning in 2011, propane. Petroleum Coke includes petroleum coke-derived synthesis gas.
Coal includes anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, lignite, and waste coal; synthetic coal and refined coal; and beginning in 2011, coal-derived synthesis gas.
Renewable Sources include wood, black liquor, other wood waste, biogenic municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge waste, agriculture byproducts, other biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, photovoltaic energy, and wind.
Small-scale solar PV installations is defined by EIA as having a capacity of less than 1 megawatt.

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NJDEP-Air Quality, Energy & Sustainability

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| | | | | New Jersey's Clean Energy Picture New Jersey is advancing and diversifying its clean energy portfolio through leadership and strong policy. New Jersey has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards in the country by requiring 35% of the energy sold in the state come from qualifying energy sources by 2025 and 50% by 2030.

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New Jersey is committed to supporting solar energy. The Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program is the current solar program which allows new solar projects to register to earn New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Credits II (SREC-II). Older projects may be registered in one of New Jersey’s former solar programs, the SREC Registration Program (SRP) or the Transition Incentive (TI) Program, through which they continue to receive SRECs or TRECs. SRECs, TRECs, and SREC-IIs represent the clean energy attributes of electricity generated from a solar energy project.

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In 2020 the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved the final New Jersey Offshore Wind Strategic Plan, the State's comprehensive roadmap for achieving 7,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy by 2035. The plan was developed by Ramboll U.S. Corporation through an extensive public stakeholder process. It presents recommendations on establishing an offshore wind industry that achieves net economic benefits and gives New Jersey residents the best overall value, while also protecting the environment, commercial and recreational fishing interests, and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Learn more about offshore wind.

New Jersey Solar Programs

New Jersey is committed to supporting solar energy. The Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program is the current solar program which allows new solar projects to register to earn New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Credits II (SREC-II). Older projects may be registered in one of New Jersey's former solar programs, the SREC Registration Program (SRP) or the Transition Incentive (TI) Program, through which they continue to receive SRECs or TRECs. SRECs, TRECs, and SREC-IIs represent the clean energy attributes of electricity generated from a solar energy project.

Legacy SREC Registration Program (SRP)

The Legacy SRP was the solar program previously used to register solar installations in New Jersey prior to its close on April 30, 2020. Projects currently registered in the SRP may keep their SREC eligibility for the duration of the project's Qualification Life. The value of the SRECs available through the SRP is determined by the market established by the NJ Renewable Portfolio Standard rules at N.J.A.C. 14:8-2. A solar electric system earns one SREC for each 1,000 kWh (1MWh) of electricity the system generates. Visit this page for more information on NJRPS NJ Renewable Portfolio Standards.

To conform with the Clean Energy Act of 2018 signed into law on May 23, 2018, NJBPU adopted rules to close the SRP to new registrants once 5.1% of the kilowatt-hours sold in the state were generated by solar electric power connected to the distribution system. By Order dated April 6, 2020, NJBPU determined the 5.1% Milestone would be attained on April 30, 2020, at which time the SRP was closed to new registrations. On May 1, 2020, the TI Program opened to new applications. More information on solar proceedings can be found here.

Transition Incentive (TI) Program

By Order dated December 6, 2019, NJBPU established the TI Program to provide a bridge between the Legacy SRP and the Successor Solar Incentive Program (SuSI). The TI Program opened to new applications on May 1, 2020.

Per Board Order dated July 28, 2021, NJBPU established a process for closing the TI Program. The TI portal closed to new applications on Friday, August 27, 2021 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST. Additional details on the process for closing the TI Program can be found here.

Solar projects registered under the TI Program are eligible to create TRECs. The TREC can be sold to the TREC Administrator at fixed prices determined by NJBPU. A solar electric system earns one TREC for each 1,000 kWh (1MWh) of electricity the system generates. For additional information on the TI Program, refer to the TI FAQs.

Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Program

The NJBPU has established a new Successor Solar Incentive Program, known as the "SuSI" Program, which is the long-term program for providing incentives to new solar generation facilities connected to the transmission or distribution systems of New Jersey electric public utilities or local government units.

The SuSI Program consists of two sub-programs:

1. The Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) Program provides administratively set incentives for net metered residential projects, net metered non-residential projects of 5 MW (dc) or less, all community solar projects, and, for an interim period, projects previously eligible to seek conditional certification from the Board under Subsection (t).

2. The Competitive Solar Incentive (CSI) Program will provide competitively set incentives for grid supply projects and net metered non-residential projects greater than 5 MW (dc). Board Staff is currently working with stakeholders to develop the design of the CSI Program with the goal of holding the first solicitation by early-to-mid 2022. For updates, please continue to check the Solar Proceedings page on the New Jersey's Clean Energy Program website.

Both the ADI and CSI Programs provide one SREC-II for each megawatt-hour of solar electricity produced from a qualifying solar facility. The value of each qualifying facility's SREC-II will be set administratively in the case of the ADI Program, and via a competitive process in the case of the CSI Program.

Per Board Order dated July 28, 2021, NJBPU established a process for opening the SuSI Program to new registrations for the ADI Program. The ADI Program registration portal opened to new registrations on Saturday, August 28, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. EST.

ADI Program Forms, Checklists and additional program information can be found on the ADI Program page.

The Successor Solar Incentive Program Pre-Publication Rule Proposal can be found on the Solar Proceedings Page.

Community Solar Energy Pilot Program

In May 2018, Governor Murphy signed L.2018, c.17, which mandated the creation of the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. On January 17, 2019, NJBPU adopted rules establishing the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program.

This Pilot Program enables utility customers to virtually connect to a solar energy project in their utility service territory and receive a credit on their utility bills. Community solar will therefore enable access to clean energy generation for utility customers currently unable to place solar generation directly on their own properties.

Applications to participate in the Pilot Program are accepted during a certain Application Period each year. The Program Year 2 Application Period closed on February 5, 2021; the Program Year 3 Application period has not yet been established.

To receive program updates, please sign up for the Community Solar listserv. You can also find additional information on the Community Solar FAQ page.

Energy Efficiency First

Make sure your home or building is as energy efficient as possible before installing solar. Benefits include: improved comfort and safety, lower energy bills, less renewable capacity needed, and lower upfront cost to install renewable energy. Check with your electric or gas utility regarding programs they may offer to help make your home more energy efficient.

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In 2020 the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved the final New Jersey Offshore Wind Strategic Plan, the State's comprehensive roadmap for achieving 7,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy by 2035. The plan was developed by Ramboll U.S. Corporation through an extensive public stakeholder process.

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NJ to spend $100M on clean energy, environmental justice

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NJ to spend $100M on clean energy, environmental justice

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Gov. Phil Murphy vowed to spend $100 million on clean transportation projects, much of which would be targeted to reducing unhealthy air quality in urban areas with communities that are already overburdened with pollution problems.

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Gov. Phil Murphy vowed to spend $100 million on clean transportation projects, much of which would be targeted to reducing unhealthy air quality in urban areas with communities that are already overburdened with pollution problems.

The projects announced Tuesday include a range of initiatives aimed at electrifying the transportation sector. That would mean funding for projects to transition to electric buses and electrifying garbage and delivery trucks. It also includes money to switch from fossil fuel used by medium- and heavy-duty equipment in cargo handling operations at ports and funding to aid industrial areas in so-called environmental-justice communities.

The investment is the most significant financial commitment the Murphy administration has yet made to advancing two of its highest environmental priorities: combating climate change and reducing pollution in communities that typically have the unhealthiest air quality in New Jersey.

"This is the first major commitment to electrifying our transportation system, particularly in our urban areas,'' said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. The sector is the largest single source of greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as the soot or fine particulate pollution that is a significant problem in cities.

The state is funding the programs in part by rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate program to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, and through a nationwide settlement with Volkswagen over installing software in vehicles that downplayed emissions from its vehicles.

"Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat currently facing humanity, and our state and economy are uniquely vulnerable to its devastating effects,'' Murphy said in a news release. "The investments we are announcing today signify our commitment to environmental justice and equity while building a stronger economy that works for all.''

Electric buses, and charging stations, too

Murphy also signed an executive order establishing the Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy as part of his administration; the new office will oversee the creation of a New Jersey Council on the Green Economy, an initiative announced in the governor's State of the State address earlier this year.

"The New Jersey Council on the Green Economy is a terrific idea that helps generate good local union jobs that cannot be outsourced,'' said Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. "These jobs will provide a living wage to sustain our middle-class and help to create a prosperous future for New Jerseyans, especially those that have been left behind in our Black and Brown communities."

Most of the funding allocated by the administration will go to electrifying segments of the transportation system that have yet to attract significant financial incentives. Newark won $1 million to purchase two electric garbage trucks, part of a $9 million initiative in grants to local governments to electrify trash and delivery trucks.

Another $13 million was set aside for low- and moderate-income communities to reduce air pollution by electrifying school buses and shuttle buses. In addition, $5 million in grants were targeted to four communities to bring electric vehicle ride-hailing and charging stations to those locations.

A separate pot of $5 million will go for fast-charging infrastructure at 27 locations around the state.

The biggest chunk of allocations will go to environmental-justice communities to reduce diesel and black carbon emissions by electrifying cargo-handling and other equipment used at the port and loading facilities.

Finally, another $15 million will go to NJ Transit to electrify some of its buses and another $15 million in so-called flex funding to deploy for the above listed programs where additional incentives are needed.

"Today's announcement is a win for our lungs and it's a true down payment in speeding up the transition to electrifying our diesel truck fleets across the state,'' said Hayley Berliner, a clean-energy associate with Environment New Jersey.

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NJ to spend $100M on clean energy, environmental justice

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Gov. Phil Murphy vowed to spend $100 million on clean transportation projects, much of which would be targeted to reducing unhealthy air quality in urban areas with communities that are already overburdened with pollution problems. The projects announced Tuesday include a range of initiatives aimed at electrifying the transportation sector.

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NJ Transit, despite being one of the largest transit fleets in the country, is behind over 100 transit authorities across the country in committing to electrifying its public buses and reducing transit emissions. Fortunately, New Jersey has begun addressing this major issue with innovative programs like electric school buses using VW Settlement funds.

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New Jersey League of Conservation Voters

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New Jersey must electrify its transportation sector

Modernizing our Transportation Sector

Passing comprehensive EV legislation to catalyze a swift transition to an electrified transportation future.

Increasing funding for NJ Transit and securing federal funding for the Gateway Access Tunnel.

Why is this on our agenda?

Transportation is now one of the largest sources of emissions in the nation, responsible for over 45% of greenhouse gas emissions and major contributor to localized air pollution in New Jersey. The negative health and environmental impacts of transportation pollution cannot be overstated, especially to the state's most vulnerable populations: Environmental Justice communities, children, and the elderly.

NJ Transit, despite being one of the largest transit fleets in the country, is behind over 100 transit authorities across the country in committing to electrifying its public buses and reducing transit emissions. Fortunately, New Jersey has begun addressing this major issue with innovative programs like electric school buses using VW Settlement funds. But we need comprehensive legislation to promote electric vehicles (EVs) and provide essential infrastructure to get cars and trucks to convert from polluting sources to clean electric energy. An EV rebate program, major investments in a baseline essential fast, public-charging infrastructure in key traffic hotspots, and bold statewide goals for EV adoption - including a goal of 90 percent EV sales by 2040 and a commitment for all NJ Transit buses to be electric by 2040 - are key strategies we are working to make law.
Accomplished
During the 219th Legislative Session Lawmakers passed the most ambitious electric vehicle bill in America, which provides incentives for purchasing electric vehicles by offering up to $5,000 in rebates. This legislation sets the stage for a massive public fast-charging network, and for NJ Transit - one of the largest public transit systems in the country - to fully electrify all buses by nearly 2040.

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Modernizing our Transportation Sector Passing comprehensive EV legislation to catalyze a swift transition to an electrified transportation future. Increasing funding for NJ Transit and securing federal funding for the Gateway Access Tunnel. Why is this on our agenda?

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Cleaning and greening NJ Transit's bus fleet

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Cleaning and greening NJ Transit's bus fleet

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By 2040, NJ Transit plans to complete the transition of its fleet of buses to 100% zero-emission vehicles, according to a new road map released this week by the agency.

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By 2040, NJ Transit plans to complete the transition of its fleet of buses to 100% zero-emission vehicles, according to a new road map released this week by the agency.

The commitment by the agency was welcomed by clean-energy advocates who want to ramp up purchase of electric buses to replace diesel buses, which can worsen air quality, particularly in urban areas where many of their routes are based.

"The roadmap to achieving a 100 percent zero-emission bus fleet by 2040 is establishing the foundation that will ultimately create NJ Transit's environmentally friendly fleet of the future,'' said NJ Transit Board Vice-Chair Cedrick Fulton. "Advancing the modernization of NJ Transit's bus garages and applying for additional federal funding for electric buses are critical steps to meeting this very ambitious and important goal.''

To reach the goal, the agency will be required to speed up the purchase of electric buses, a step that could cost $5.7 billion for the vehicles as well as the requisite charging infrastructure and modernization of decades-old bus garages.
READ: WATCH: New Jersey begins pilot for electric buses Advocates want NJ Transit to expedite switch to cleaner buses
Electrifying the transportation system, which accounts for more than 40% of the state's greenhouse-gas emissions, is a top priority of the Murphy administration. Dirty, diesel-belching trucks and buses contribute to degrading air quality in urban areas suffering from undue pollution burdens.

Aggressive targets

Without cleaning up pollution from the transportation sector, New Jersey will never achieve its goal of reducing climate-warming emissions or its aggressive clean-energy targets, officials argue.

A law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2020 set goals for the agency to increase spending on electric buses - mandating 10% of bus procurement be zero-emission vehicles in 2024; 50% new buses by 2026; and 100% in 2032. Because diesel buses typically last a decade or more, the conversion to 100% electric buses is not expected to occur until 2040.

As of this April, the state's fleet of diesel buses numbered 2,183. Diesel buses cost considerably less than electric buses, with the difference approaching $250,000 on each purchase. Advocates argue reduced pollution will offset those costs, improving health in communities with high pollution burdens.

"This is a 20-year transformation of NJ Transit's bus fleet,'' said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey, noting it is not going to happen overnight. "This is the commitment we have been waiting for from NJ Transit.''

Need to modernize garages too

The commitment is a huge challenge, necessitating detailed plans for not only buying more expensive electric buses but modernizing garages so the zero-emission vehicles can be charged overnight when not running. NJ Transit is turning to federal agencies to help fund some of these projects.

Last September, the agency began that process by awarding a $3.2 million contract to a Vineland company to renovate a Camden bus depot with electric vehicle charging stations and other associated infrastructure modifications. The agency also used funds from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to buy eight electric buses; they are expected to be delivered this fall.

The new buses will be tested in real-world conditions on NJ Transit routes in the area to evaluate how vehicles perform, including travel distance between recharging times. Eventually, the modernization of garages will extend to Maplewood, and then to other depots in north Jersey and a handful of others further south, including Hamilton, Howell, and Washington Township.

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Cleaning and greening NJ Transit's bus fleet | NJ Spotlight News

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By 2040, NJ Transit plans to complete the transition of its fleet of buses to 100% zero-emission vehicles, according to a new road map released this week by the agency. The commitment by the agency was welcomed by clean-energy advocates who want to ramp up purchase of electric buses to replace diesel buses, which can worsen air quality, particularly in urban areas where many of their routes are based.

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N.J. ranks high in number of pollution-related deaths, study says

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N.J. ranks high in number of pollution-related deaths, study says

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A study published in Environmental Research Letters found that motor vehicle emissions caused an estimated 7,100 premature deaths in 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states in 2016, with New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania the three states with the highest death tolls.

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Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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N.J. ranks high in number of pollution-related deaths, study says

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A study of the heath effects of air pollution in 12 states found that New Jersey had the third highest death toll from vehicle emissions in 2016.

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Association of NJ Household Hazardous Waste Coordinators

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Association of NJ Household Hazardous Waste Coordinators

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Each of New Jersey’s 21 counties provide a way to safely manage household hazardous waste (HHW). This resource contains links to which programs are available for each NJ county.

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Association of New Jersey Household Hazardous Waste Coordinators

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Each of New Jersey's 21 counties provide a way to safely manage household hazardous waste (HHW). Click on the appropriate link below to learn what programs are available and what materials are acceptable in your County. New Jersey's 21 Counties

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Visit this page to see what's new in solid and hazardous waste.

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This is the main page for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Solid & Hazardous Waste. Look up information about New Jersey’s solid and hazardous waste programs.

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New Jersey has 114 Superfund sites, the most in the nation, and Newark is home to four of them. The one in the Ironbound, a former chemical plant where cleanup is priced at $1.4 billion, is especially problematic: It’s one of nine in the state, and 74 nationwide, that not only are vulnerable to the effects of climate change but contain uncontrolled toxic wastes that could damage human health, an investigation by Inside Climate News, the Texas Observer and NBC News found.

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The long fight and new threat at one highly toxic New Jersey Superfund site

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One environmental advocate warns of a potential disaster: “With Superfund sites and climate change, we’re playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun.”

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The Clean Shores program is a free statewide service that removes floatables such as wood, garbage, plastics, medical waste, and recyclables from tidal shorelines with the use of state inmate labor. The mission of the program is to preserve and enhance New Jersey’s coastal environment and natural resources by removing debris, grooming trails, planting dune grasses and aiding in emergency cleanups like fish kills and after storm events. The program also affords inmates the opportunity to give back to our communities in a tangible way.

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NJDEP-Division of Water Monitoring and Standards

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New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

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Every year from March through November, from New York State down to Newark Bay, Hackensack Riverkeeper’s River Cleanup Program mobilizes over 1,000 volunteers and removes over 27,000 lbs. of trash from our watershed.

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Every year from March through November, from New York State down to Newark Bay, Hackensack Riverkeeper's River Cleanup Program mobilizes over 1,000 volunteers and removes over 27,000 lbs. of trash from our watershed. Want to help us achieve a cleaner, healthier Hackensack River? Roll up your sleeves and join us!

Individuals and small groups are invited to join us at our monthly Community River Cleanups, which take place on weekends in different communities along our watershed. We are always looking for more volunteers and more spots in need of a cleanup!

Does your company, school group, Scout troop, or club want to sponsor/partner on a river cleanup? Give us a call at 201-968-0808 or email outreach@hackensackriverkeeper.org. We will coordinate a date, time, and location with you and bring all the materials, in exchange for a donation to help us sustain this important program.

Otherwise all you need to do to become a Hackensack Riverkeeper volunteer is come to one of our Community Cleanups. Start by registering for one (or more!) of the cleanups listed below. By registering, you help give us an idea of how many volunteers to expect, and we'll know how to contact you in the event our cleanup is postponed or canceled. As more details are finalized for each cleanup, they will become clickable links to register.

Come dressed for the outdoors in clothes you can get dirty. We'll bring everything else: gloves, bags, pickup sticks, canoes, paddles, PFDs, and pizza! All ages are welcome, but all children must be supervised. For safety reasons, only adults and/or minors whose parents can vouch for their canoeing experience may use our boats. Thanks for volunteering, and we'll see you by the river!

2021 Community River Cleanups:

Thursday, April 22, 10am - 1pm: Earth Day Cleanup, Mill Creek Point Park

Saturday, May 1, 10am - 2pm: Oradell Reservoir Cleanup

Saturday, May 15, 11am -3pm: River Edge Cleanup, Kenneth B. George Park, River Edge

Saturday, June 19, 9am - 1pm: "Solstice Cleanup", Laurel Hill Park, Laurel Hill Road, Secaucus

Saturday, July 24, 9am -1pm: Foschini Park, 278 River St., Hackensack

Saturday, August 21, 9am -1pm: Rutkowski Park Cleanup, 440 South, Bayonne

Saturday, September 18, 10am-2pm, International Coastal Cleanup, Oradell Reservoir

Sunday, September 26, 10am - 1pm, Lincoln Park West (Jersey City) Joint Cleanup with Hudson County Sierra Club & Friends of Lincoln Park

Sat/Sun, October 30/31, 9am - 1pm, "Slam Dunk the Junk II", 102 State Street, Hackensack

Sunday, November 7, 12pm-3pm: Mitzvah Day Cleanup, Ben Porat Yosef Yeshiva, Paramus, NJ

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Every year from March through November, from New York State down to Newark Bay, Hackensack Riverkeeper's River Cleanup Program mobilizes over 1,000 volunteers and removes over 27,000 lbs. of trash from our watershed. Want to help us achieve a cleaner, healthier Hackensack River? Roll up your sleeves and join us!

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The people who take action to clean up and protect our rivers, lakes and streams need all the help they can get. Since 2014, our national organization's Clean Water Network has connected these local heroes with each other, uniting over 250 local and regional watershed groups around the country so they can be more effective champions for clean water.

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Our lives depend on clean water. Cleaning up our rivers, lakes and streams, and keeping them clean, requires coordinated effort and constant vigilance.

In fact, America's waterways only started to get cleaner when the people who lived near them began seeing them as places to cherish and protect, not exploit; and began to come together and act on their behalf. Today those local heroes need all the help they can get.

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The people who take action to clean up and protect our rivers, lakes and streams need all the help they can get. Since 2014, our national organization's Clean Water Network has connected these local heroes with each other, uniting over 250 local and regional watershed groups around the country so they can be more effective champions for clean water.

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Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund

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Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund

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The Trust Fund, established in 1998, is a dedicated program supporting open space land acquisition, recreation development, as well as historical preservation and farmland protection throughout Bergen County.  In 2013 the Trust Fund added the Floodplain Protection program.

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Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund

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New Jersey Smart Growth Policies for Land and Open Space Preservation

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New Jersey Smart Growth Policies for Land and Open Space Preservation

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New Jersey ranks as a national leader in land conservation, through popular state and local programs to preserve farmland and open space.

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New Jersey Future | Working for Smart Growth: More Livable Places and Open Spaces

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New Jersey ranks as a national leader in land conservation, through popular state and local programs to preserve farmland and open space. In round numbers, more than one-fourth of our state is publicly owned or deed-restricted parkland or farmland. Yet suburbanization spreads further into the open countryside every day, threatening water supplies, fragmenting woodlands and wildlife habitats and "checker-boarding" farming areas. Some analysts have estimated "build out" of New Jersey's remaining buildable land in 30-50 years.

Our state's land conservation programs can be made more efficient and effective by integrating the purchase of land with land-use planning and regulation, infrastructure investments and tax policy. Transfer of development rights (TDR) and clustering, in particular, have the potential to preserve significant amounts of land at little or no public cost, provided they are made easier to use. Only by coordinating all of our tools can we achieve an interconnected, regional web of open and healthy recreational areas, ecosystems, wildlife habitats, water supplies and agricultural land, along with easy access to healthy neighborhood parks.

See all New Jersey Future Blog posts and articles in this category "

Reports, Presentations and Testimony

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Smart Growth Policies for Land and Open Space Preservation | New Jersey Future

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New Jersey ranks as a national leader in land conservation, through popular state and local programs to preserve farmland and open space. In round numbers, more than one-fourth of our state is publicly owned or deed-restricted parkland or farmland. Yet suburbanization spreads further into the open countryside every day, threatening water supplies, fragmenting woodlands and wildlife habitats and "checker-boarding" farming areas.

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On November 9th, 1989, the voters of Cape May County approved by a 2 - 1 margin a ballot question endorsing the establishment of a trust fund to preserve open space and agricultural land.

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The regular meeting of the Open Space Review Board scheduled for Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. has been rescheduled for:

PLEASE EMAIL LESLIE GIMENO WITH ANY QUESTIONS.

On November 9th, 1989, the voters of Cape May County approved by a 2 - 1 margin a ballot question endorsing the establishment of a trust fund to preserve open space and agricultural land. The trust is funded by a County property tax of 1 cent per 100 dollars of assessed valuation and currently generates approximately 1.3 million dollars a year. Since its inception, the program has preserved approximately 4,000 acres of open space and farmland (almost 5 square miles).

Cape May County Creative Placemaking Plan

The Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to present you with the "Cape May County Creative Placemaking Plan". This document, the result of a stakeholder-driven visioning process, provides partners in our Open Spaces Program with robust guidelines for use in designing projects for public spaces throughout Cape May County, using materials, patterns, colors, and other aesthetic elements derived from our natural and built environments.

Beginning on January 1, 2013, the Open Space Program was expanded to include Park/Recreation Development and Historic Preservation Projects.

Map of County Open Space and Farmland Preservation

Farmland Easement Acquisition

For information on the Farmland Easement Acquisition application process and pending applications, contact Barbara Ernst at 609-465-1086 or

Farmland Preservation Program

For all other information on Farmland Preservation, including Right to Farm issues and information on existing preserved farms, contact Barbara Ernst at 609-465-1086 or email.

Open Spaces Program Priorities Grant Program

* Wall Mounted 12" x 18" Dedication Plaque - to be used in projects where the Municipality's costs for the project are 51% or greater.

* Wall or Post Mounted 5" x 10" Dedication Plaque - to be used in projects where the County Open Spaces Program's costs for the project are 51% or greater.

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| Cape May County, NJ - Official Website

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The regular meeting of the Open Space Review Board scheduled for Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. has been rescheduled for: PLEASE EMAIL LESLIE GIMENO WITH ANY QUESTIONS. On November 9th, 1989, the voters of Cape May County approved by a 2 - 1 margin a ballot question endorsing the establishment of a trust fund to preserve open space and agricultural land.

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New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program Overview

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New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program Overview

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The Farmland Preservation Program is administered by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), which coordinates with County Agriculture Development Boards, municipal governments, nonprofit organizations and landowners in the development of plans that best meet the needs of individual landowners.

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New Jersey's farmlands are the foundation for a strong agricultural industry and a way of life for generations of farm families. Scenic landscapes of green, productive fields are an important part of what makes New Jersey a desirable place to live and work. Farmland preservation clearly is an important investment in our economy, our farming heritage and the overall quality of life for each and every New Jerseyan.

There are valuable incentives for landowners to participate in the Farmland Preservation Program. The program can help them meet their financial goals, providing them with the capital to expand their existing operations; eliminate or reduce their debt load; or further their estate or retirement planning. Participants in the program also are eligible to apply for cost-sharing grants to fund soil and water conservation projects. In addition, they enjoy limited protection from government acquisition of land through eminent domain; public and private nuisances; and emergency restrictions on the use of water and energy supplies.

The Farmland Preservation Program is administered by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), which coordinates with County Agriculture Development Boards, municipal governments, nonprofit organizations and landowners in the development of plans that best meet the needs of individual landowners.
Farmland Preservation Program Brochure (PDF)
How is farmland preserved?

Sale of Development Easements - Landowners who want to continue farming their land can sell their development easements. When landowners sell development easements, they still own their land but sell the rights to develop it for anything other than agriculture. Those deed restrictions remain in force for any future owners. Landowners can sell the development rights on their land to the SADC, County Agriculture Development Boards, municipalities or nonprofit organizations. The sale price is based on the difference between what a developer would pay for the land and what it is worth for agriculture. Most farms have entered the Farmland Preservation Program through the sale of development rights.

Donation of Development Easements - Some farmers and landowners may want to donate the development rights for all or a portion of the land they own. In certain cases, this can provide significant income and estate tax benefits. Landowners should consult an attorney, accountant or financial planner to determine how this option would affect them.

Sale of Entire Property - If a landowner wants to sell a farm outright, the SADC can purchase it at fair-market value under its fee simple program. The SADC then auctions the farm to a private owner with agricultural deed restrictions in place that ensure its permanent preservation. This option also provides other farmers with opportunities to purchase land at reasonable prices that reflect only farmland values, not development potential.

Term Farmland Preservation - Landowners can choose to voluntarily restrict development on their land for a period of eight (8) or sixteen (16) years. Landowners receive no payment for this, but they become eligible to apply for cost-sharing grants for soil and water conservation projects, and are eligible for the Farmland Preservation Program's other benefits and protections.

How does the process work?

Land is eligible for the Farmland Preservation Program if it meets the SADC's minimum eligibility criteria, qualifies for farmland tax assessment and is part of an agricultural development area, an area where the County Agriculture Development Board has determined that farming is viable over the long term.

County Agriculture Development Boards are responsible for approving most applications to the Farmland Preservation Program. Therefore, they are the starting point for most interested landowners. County Agriculture Development Boards review and approve applications, and then forward them to the SADC, coordinating with the State and local municipalities throughout the process.

The value of a farm or development easement is established through two independent appraisals. Once a value has been determined and agreed upon, and an application has been approved, the sale can proceed.

What does farmland preservation mean?

Farms or development easements that are acquired through the Farmland Preservation Program will forever be protected for agricultural use. Landowners who have sold their development rights still can sell their land at any time. Deed restrictions prohibiting non-agricultural development run with the land, so future owners of preserved farms also would be required to comply with the deed restrictions.

The sale of development rights does not make farmland public property. The public has no right to access or use a deed-restricted farm without the landowner's consent.

For farm landowners, participation in the Farmland Preservation Program means a stronger land base to support New Jersey's agricultural industry, the satisfaction of knowing their land will forever be preserved as farmland, and access to the resources that can help them achieve their personal and financial goals.

For all of us, farmland preservation is an important part of keeping New Jersey green and prosperous. Preserved farmland limits urban sprawl, protects our water and soils, provides us with an abundance of locally grown farm products and maintains our connection to the land and the longstanding agricultural traditions that earned our reputation as the Garden State.

Farmland Preservation Planning

County and Municipal Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plans

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New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program | Overview

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New Jersey's farmlands are the foundation for a strong agricultural industry and a way of life for generations of farm families. Scenic landscapes of green, productive fields are an important part of what makes New Jersey a desirable place to live and work.

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New Jersey Future’s Comments on CSO Long Term Control Plans

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New Jersey Future’s Comments on CSO Long Term Control Plans

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Representing a combined investment of up to $3.5 billion, New Jersey’s proposed CSO solutions are a generational opportunity for Governor Murphy’s Administration and the affected municipalities and utilities to achieve their goals for:

Clean water—by reducing the pollution in our waterways and increasing the implementation of green infrastructure.

Environmental justice—by ensuring that the needs and values of overburdened communities are not only addressed but prioritized.

Climate resilience—by selecting projects and approaches that will protect public health and safety today and in the future.

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New Jersey Future | Working for Smart Growth: More Livable Places and Open Spaces

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March 15th, 2021 by Moriah Kinberg

New Jersey Future submitted comments on the Selection and Implementation of Alternatives Reports (SIARs), the final report for the combined sewer overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plans (LTCPs). Our comments focus on five plans covering the areas where we have been most active: the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC), the cities of Bayonne, Paterson, and Perth Amboy, and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority (JCMUA). Together, these four municipal reports represent 42% of CSO outfalls and 33% of the population living in combined sewer service areas across New Jersey.

Tremendous amounts of work have been done by all 25 of the combined sewer overflow permit holders, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Division of Water Quality, Supplemental CSO Team members, and additional community members and stakeholder groups to bring us to this point. We appreciate the open lines of communication with the NJDEP and the CSO permit holders and the continued discussions throughout the permit process.

Representing a combined investment of up to $3.5 billion, New Jersey's proposed CSO solutions are a generational opportunity for Governor Murphy's Administration and the affected municipalities and utilities to achieve their goals for:

Clean water-by reducing the pollution in our waterways and increasing the implementation of green infrastructure.

Environmental justice-by ensuring that the needs and values of overburdened communities are not only addressed but prioritized.

Climate resilience-by selecting projects and approaches that will protect public health and safety today and in the future.

New Jersey Future reviewed the SIARS reports as a champion of smart growth; as a member of the cross-sector Jersey Water Works collaborative, which has developed goals for Smart CSO Plans; and as a member of the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Campaign, which amplifies the voices of grassroots organizations and residents of environmental justice communities with combined sewer systems.

While there is much to commend in the five proposed SIARs that we reviewed in depth, each falls short of what is needed for clean water, environmental justice, and climate resilience. The following recommendations include specific revisions NJDEP should require before approval and also critical new measures to be included in the forthcoming five-year permits that will govern implementation.

Implementing CSO solutions will be the most expensive public works investments these communities will make in a generation, and they will be paid for by the residents and businesses who already suffer from dysfunctional infrastructure. CSO solutions must advance community priorities, treat residents fairly, and ensure public health and safety into the future; otherwise they lock these communities into the status quo for decades to come.

New Jersey Future's looks forward to seeing final LTCPs and future permits that include CSO solutions that are not only compliant but lead to stronger, healthier, more resilient communities for everyone.

Tags: Bayonne, CSOs, Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority (JCMUA), Long Term Control PLans, LTCP, Paterson, Perth Amboy, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC)

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jersey city municipal utilities authority (jcmua)

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the passaic valley sewerage commission (pvsc)

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New Jersey Future's Comments on CSO Long Term Control Plans | New Jersey Future

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New Jersey Future submitted comments on the Selection and Implementation of Alternatives Reports (SIARs), the final report for the combined sewer overflow (CSO) Long Term Control Plans (LTCPs). Our comments focus on five plans covering the areas where New Jersey Future has been most active: the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, the cities of Bayonne, Paterson, and Perth Amboy, and the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority.

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21 New Jersey towns have combined sewer systems. When it rains, raw sewage flows into rivers, floods streets, and fills basements. The sewage contains dangerous bacteria, which can cause an array of health issues when it seeps into the drinking water supply. Environmental problems from industry and combined sewer overflows have had a disproportionate impact on residents with lower incomes and communities of color. The cost to upgrade these systems will be paid for by residents and businesses. It is important that plans to reduce waterway contamination account for the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and intensifying flooding.

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Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers | Your Waterways, Your Neighborhood, Your Money, Your Voice

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When it rains in 21 New Jersey cities and towns with combined sewer systems, raw sewage pours into rivers and backs up into basements and onto streets. This is known as a combined sewer overflow (CSO). An estimated 23 billion gallons of a mixture of raw sewage and stormwater are dumped annually into New Jersey's waterways as a result of CSOs.

In 2015, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a permit that required these communities to develop plans by October 2020 to reduce sewage in nearby waterways. Implementing these plans will cost billions of dollars over the coming decades and will have significant effects on residents and business owners for generations to come.
On neighborhoods:
Localized flooding in streets and into basements is disruptive to residents and businesses, and can contain dangerous bacteria, leading to contamination of drinking water supplies.

The 21 municipalities with combined sewer systems are affected by private sector disinvestment and a history of environmental contamination from industry. Environmental problems from industry and combined sewer overflows have had a disproportionate impact on residents with lower incomes and communities of color.

While there are robust public outreach efforts in some places, these efforts are not being made everywhere, leaving many people who work, live, and own businesses in these cities in the dark.
On the economy:
The cost to upgrade these systems - the biggest infrastructure investment that some of these communities will make in a generation - will be paid for by residents and businesses.

Most combined sewer systems are located in growing urban municipalities that are struggling to address multiple issues, from a history of industrial contamination and private sector disinvestment to the pressures of revitalization.

Access to waterways has been limited and beaches have been closed due to dangerous bacteria, likely caused by heavy rain that causes polluted runoff to flow into rivers and bays.
On the environment:
It is important that plans to reduce waterway contamination account for the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and intensifying flooding. Green solutions can offer additional benefits to reducing sewage overflows, such as improving air quality, reducing the heat island effect, and adding green space, all of which should be considered when evaluating these solutions.

Waterway contamination from CSOs can destroy wetlands and their ability to hold carbon. This allows more greenhouse gases to enter the atmosphere.

NJDEP issued new CSO permits as of July 1, 2015 to develop long term control plans

October 1, 2020 - The Selection and Implementation of Alternatives Report in the Final Long Term Control Plan were submitted to the NJDEP. Read the reports here.

2021 - Five-year CSO permits will be issued for each of the municipal and utility permit holders. An official public input process will be held for each of the new permits.

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The Challenge | Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers

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When it rains in 21 New Jersey cities and towns with combined sewer systems, raw sewage pours into rivers and backs up into basements and onto streets. This is known as a combined sewer overflow (CSO). An estimated 23 billion gallons of a mixture of raw sewage and stormwater are dumped annually into New Jersey's waterways as a result of CSOs.

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The city of Newark has both Separated and Combined Sewer Systems. This resource provides a map of the Newark sewer systems, and an explanation of how the two types of sewer systems function.

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The City of Newark has both Separated and Combined Sewer Systems. Take a look at this map to see which sewer system serves your household. To learn more about the history of the City’s sewer system click here and to see old photos click here.

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Communities Make Recommendations for Multi-Billion Dollar Plans to Stop Sewage Overflows

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Communities Make Recommendations for Multi-Billion Dollar Plans to Stop Sewage Overflows

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Trenton's 2021 Sewage-free Streets and Rivers Campaign advocates for equitable solutions to combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The ultimate goal is zero discharge pollution over time.

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Communities Make Recommendations for Multi-Billion Dollar Plans to Stop Sewage Overflows Community groups submit recommendations to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the combined sewer overflow Long Term Control Plans.

TRENTON, 2021 - The Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign, a coalition of community organizations from towns with combined sewer systems, is advocating for the Long Term Control Plans developed by municipal and utility permit holders to include equitable solutions to combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Twenty-four municipal and utility permit holders submitted combined sewer overflow Long Term Control Plans to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on October 1, 2020, kicking off a four-month comment period during which many community groups, environmental organizations, and other stakeholders weighed in on the plans, including the Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign and its partners.

"These plans represent billions of public infrastructure dollars," said Nicole Miller, principal, MnM Consulting and co-chair, NewarkDIG. "Our residents and business owners deserve the maximum benefit from each dollar spent. We hope NJDEP will take our concerns into consideration when preparing responses to the permit holders."

"We are hopeful that the NJDEP's commitment to environmental justice will be reflected in their review of these plans and that the final Long Term Control Plans will promote equity in affordability and in the implementation of solutions to sewage overflows," said Mo Kinberg, New Jersey Future community outreach manager.

"The Clean Water Act is intended to ensure that our nation's waters no matter where you live, color of your skin, or economic situation are free of sewage and toxins with the ultimate goal of zero pollution discharge over time," stated Amy Goldsmith, NJ state director, Clean Water Action. "Approving, funding, and enforcing the best Long Term Control Plans possible is key to ensuring water justice for all."

The plans detail large wastewater infrastructure projects that will impact communities for decades and will be paid for primarily by taxpayers. Comments by the coalition focus on water quality, environmental justice, green infrastructure, public participation and climate change. "We are elated to see these plans move forward after over five years of community input and discussion," stated Drew Curtis, Ironbound Community Corporation. "We want to see these plans address many of the issues facing environmental justice communities like Newark, such as abating stormwater flooding and increased green infrastructure. And, we want to see the plans paid for in an equitable manner. Newark, as the host community for PVSC, already bears the brunt of the negative impacts from the plant; other, more affluent communities within the PVSC service area should pick up more of the financial costs of these plans."

"There has been an enormous effort by the CSO permit holders and NJDEP over the last five years to get us to this critical point of addressing CSOs through the adoption of the Long Term Control Plans," stated Rosana Da Silva, New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program and technical advisory board member to the campaign. "These plans specifically focus on the reduction of CSOs. Implementation will improve water quality in the Estuary. But this process is also an opportunity for stakeholders, including ratepayers and local government officials, to envision the future of their communities and how they can best benefit from cleaner waterways."

The coalition is asking the NJDEP and permit holders for innovative solutions that put the health and wellbeing of the residents of these communities first. "It is time to address the impacts of CSOs with a sense of urgency," stated Greg Remaud, NY/NJ Baykeeper. "Our urban communities have suffered the public health and environmental insult of raw sewage flowing freely into their streets and waterways after it rains for far too long. This will require the leadership and cooperation on the local, state and federal level that has yet to emerge."

What more local advocates are saying:

"As a resident of the South Ward of Newark and an environmental justice organizer, it is extremely important that residents have meaningful participation in the Long Term Control Plans and their voices are heard in their communities' plan," stated Kim Gaddy, director, South Ward Environmental Alliance.

"We see what happens during a 'normal' rainfall event in Camden: raw sewage floods the streets and residential homes. Residents should be the first priority. We must develop an equitable public outreach and engagement plan to ensure ALL residents have a voice and are heard."-Shaniqua Biles, Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers Advisory Board member and Camden resident.

"Bayonne's Long Term Control Plan is inherently inequitable in its financing, lacking in public input and nearly devoid of green infrastructure. Bayonne inexplicably failed to consider more equitable means of funding for this project, resulting in an unconscionable economic plan that will exacerbate income inequality and reward polluters."-Jill Pustorino, Morris Park Neighborhood Association

"I find it very disturbing to have to wait until 2040 to address some of the worst flooding in Paterson. The flooding that is coming into our homes and cars has raw sewage in it, which creates health issues."-Martha Arencibia, Paterson Green Team Chair

"There is an urgent opportunity for Jersey City to reduce costs of its Long Term Control Plan by investing in green infrastructure," stated Debra Italiano, founder, Sustainable Jersey City. "Grey infrastructure costs could be brought down by prioritizing green infrastructure first. The City of Jersey City indicated it would consider participation in a Regional Plan if 'adaptive remedies' were available in the agreement, like a green infrastructure first strategy-municipal alignment around this focus is needed."

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Communities Make Recommendations for Multi-Billion Dollar Plans to Stop Sewage Overflows - Insider NJ

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Communities Make Recommendations for Multi-Billion Dollar Plans to Stop Sewage Overflows Community groups submit recommendations to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the combined sewer overflow Long Term Control Plans. TRENTON, 2021 - The Sewage-Free Streets and Rivers campaign, a coalition of community organizations from towns with combined sewer systems, is[...]

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NJ State Health Assessment Data: Air Quality

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NJ State Health Assessment Data: Air Quality

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Use this resource to learn the current air conditions, as well as the common causes of air pollution in the state of New Jersey. Both outdoor and indoor air is made up of a series of gases that you might find surprising.

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Skip directly to searchSkip directly to the site navigationSkip directly to the page’s main content

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NJDEP-CleanAirNJ-Clean Air NJ-What's Your Air Quality

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NJDEP-CleanAirNJ-Clean Air NJ-What's Your Air Quality

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The USEPA developed the Air Quality Index (AQI) to report daily air quality to the public. The AQI tells you how clean your local air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern in your area. View the AQI values, and learn where New Jersey falls on the chart.

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What's Your Air Quality Today?

The USEPA developed the Air Quality Index (AQI) to report daily air quality to the public. The AQI tells you how clean your local air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern in your area. Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 300. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. To make it even easier, USEPA color coded the AQI so you can tell at a glance when you need to take precautions. Since an AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to the national ambient air quality standard for smog, AQI values below 100 are considered safe (green or yellow). When AQI values are above 100, air quality is considered to be unhealthy-at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher (orange and red). New Jersey's level has never exceeded an AQI of 200 - the purple color on the chart - and has rarely been over 150 - the red color on the chart.

Source: AirNow Web Site
How Can You Get Daily Air Quality Alerts?
Enviroflash, a partnership between the USEPA and NJDEP, sends out alerts to your mobile device or email which notify you on days when poor air quality is forecast to occur. The alert messages include the air quality forecast for the location of your choice and preventative suggestions on how to protect yourself when the air is unhealthy. Sign-up now to receive either an e-mail or a text message to your mobile device!

You can also get the AQI:

1. At http://www.airnow.gov

2. On Facebook and Twitter

3. With the free AirNow App for iPhones and Android

4. With the customizable AirNow Widget for your organization

What Do our Ozone Days Look Like This Year?
New Jersey and its neighboring states have exceeded the ozone standard. Because of differing meteorological and air quality conditions, each exceedance looks different in terms of where ozone was formed and transported to cause exceedances at particular monitoring sites in New Jersey's two multi-state nonattainment areas. Below is each ozone exceedance beginning in 2015, analyzed and explained.
Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Health Standard Exceedances in:

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NJDEP-CleanAirNJ-Clean Air NJ-What's Your Air Quality Today?

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What's Your Air Quality Today? The USEPA developed the Air Quality Index (AQI) to report daily air quality to the public. The AQI tells you how clean your local air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern in your area. Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 300.

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Air Pollution in New Jersey: Nearly All of State in Metro Areas that Rank Among Worst 25 in Nation for Both Ozone Smog and Year-round Particle Pollution

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Air Pollution in New Jersey: Nearly All of State in Metro Areas that Rank Among Worst 25 in Nation for Both Ozone Smog and Year-round Particle Pollution

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The most recent "State of the Air" report released by the American Lung Association noted that the ozone quality in many New Jersey towns is sub-par and a health risk. This article includes information about how the ozone quality can be linked to COVID-19 complications and the greater likelihood of death.

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This year's "State of the Air" report from the American Lung Association finds that the state's two major metro areas ranked among the worst in the nation for two pollutant measures:

For ozone smog, both the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD and New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA metro areas, comprising all but one of the state's 21 counties, continued on the list of the nation's worst 25 metro areas, this year ranking 21st worst and 14th worst, respectively, because of high weighted average numbers of days in Philadelphia and Bucks Counties, PA and in Fairfield County, CT also respectively. Though counties outside the state drove the poor ranking figures, eight Garden State counties continued to earn "F" grades.

For the long-term measure of particle pollution, the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden metro area continued on the worst-25 list, posting the same worst year-round average in Delaware County, PA but improving in rank from 12th worst to 17th worst in the country. But the New York-Newark metro area showed a significant worsening in the average particle pollution value for Bergen County, NJ with the result that the metro area's ranking worsened from 36th worst to 20th worst, landing that metro area on the list of the nation's 25 most polluted metro areas.

Nevertheless, air quality in New Jersey generally improved for ozone smog and also slightly for year-round fine particle pollution, although there were exceptions. Nearly all New Jersey counties with available measurements posted zero days high in fine particles, and only four counties worsened for any measure. See the full report, based on the three years of data from 2017 through 2019, at Lung.org/sota.

The worst grades in the state were Camden County's "C" for the daily measure of particle pollution and Bergen County's "F" for ozone smog. "The grades in Bergen and Camden show room for improvement and more must be done to protect the health of people at risk," said American Lung Association National AVP, State Public Policy, Michael Seilback. "There are still dozens of days when the air pollution levels are high enough to harm health and trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and stroke, placing children, older adults, and people living with chronic lung and heart disease at particular risk. Ozone and particle pollution are the nation's most harmful and widespread air pollutants, and both can be deadly. In addition, more exposure to particle pollution is linked to worse health outcomes from COVID-19, including more deaths."

"The American Lung Association's 2021 'State of the Air' report shows that despite some nationwide progress on cleaning up air pollution, more than 40% of Americans live with unhealthy ozone or particle pollution," said Seilback. "People of color-comprising nearly half of the state's population-are significantly more likely to breathe polluted air than white people. As the nation works to address climate change and continue reducing air pollution, we must prioritize the health of disproportionately burdened communities."

The Lung Association encourages policy makers in New Jersey to join the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program. This commitment would be a big, bold and necessary step forward for public health. The program is an important investment in cleaner, more reliable transportation and a tool to reduce transportation pollution, improve air quality, reduce carbon pollution and improve the health of all New Jersey residents.

Ozone Pollution in New Jersey: Compared to the 2020 report, New Jersey experienced fewer unhealthy days of high ozone in 13 of the 15 counties with enough data to be graded for this pollutant. Eight of those counties-Bergen, Camden, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Ocean-continued to earn "F" grades, although all improved. Bergen County came in worst, posting a weighted average number of days high in ozone pollution of 8.3 days for the 2017-2019 period. Only one county in the state worsened-Cumberland, going from a "B" to a "C" grade with an average of 1.0 day per year high in ozone.

"Ozone pollution can harm even healthy people, but is particularly dangerous for children, older adults and people with lung diseases such as COPD or asthma," said Seilback. "Breathing ozone-polluted air can trigger asthma attacks in both adults and children with asthma, which can land them in the doctor's office or the emergency room. Ozone can even shorten people's lives."

Particle Pollution in New Jersey: "State of the Air" 2021 found that year-round particle pollution levels in eight New Jersey counties improved, but mostly be relatively small increments. Two other counties duplicated their reports from last year. All New Jersey counties posting long-term averages were found to be meeting the air quality standard for this pollutant. However, Bergen County, posting a level of 10.3 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) for 2017-2019 period, barely overtook Camden County's continuing 10.2 µg/m3 as the county with the highest annual average in the state.

The report also tracked short-term spikes in particle pollution, which can be extremely dangerous and even lethal. The report found that New Jersey statewide recorded the same few number of days (six) as in last year's report when short-term particle pollution reached unhealthy levels. The state's worst grade for this measure was again Camden County's "C" earned for its four days high in this pollutant, but Camden County is no longer in worst place in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden metro area.

Even better, the following 12 counties all earned "A" grades for fine particle pollution in this year's report, posting zero days with average concentrations in the unhealthy ranges, according to the air quality standard: Atlantic, Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Ocean, and Passaic. That placed these counties on the list of cleanest counties in the nation for this pollutant.

"Particle pollution can lodge deep in the lungs and can even enter the bloodstream. It can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes and cause lung cancer," said Seilback. Particle pollution comes from industry, coal-fired power plants, construction, agriculture, vehicles, wildfires and wood-burning devices."

This year's report found that nationwide, more than four in 10 people (135 million) lived with polluted air, placing their health and lives at risk. In New Jersey, air pollution placed the health of nearly nine million residents at risk, including those who are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, such as older adults, children and people with a lung disease. The report also shows that people of color were 61% more likely to live in a county with unhealthy air than white people, and three times more likely to live in a county that failed all three air quality grades. The report also finds that climate change made air quality worse and harder to clean up.

The Lung Association's annual air quality "report card" tracks and grades Americans' exposure to unhealthful levels of particle pollution (also known as soot) and ozone (smog) over a three-year period-this year's report covers 2017-2019. The report analyzes particle pollution in two ways: average annual levels and short-term spikes. Both ozone and particle pollution can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks and cardiovascular damage, and are linked to developmental and reproductive harm. Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer.

Learn more about "State of the Air" at Lung.org/sota-petition and sign the petition for the Biden Administration to promote clean air, a safe climate and environmental justice. Media interested in speaking with an expert about lung health, clean air and threats to air quality can contact Val.Gleason at [email protected] or 717-971-1123.

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This year's "State of the Air" report from the American Lung Association finds that the state's two major metro areas ranked among the worst in the nation for two pollutant measures: For ozone smog, both the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD and New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA metro areas, comprising all but one of the state's 21 counties, continued on the list of the nation's worst 25 metro areas, this year ranking 21st worst and 14th worst, respectively, because of high weighted average numbers of days in Philadelphia and Bucks Counties, PA and in Fairfield County, CT also respectively.

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Continued bad air days mean NJ should cut emissions, activists urge

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Continued bad air days mean NJ should cut emissions, activists urge

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Activists have suggested solutions for continued bad air days in NJ, including cutting back emissions by limiting the use of fossil fuels.

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Even as a pandemic shut down much of the state's economy in 2020, most New Jersey residents suffered through 46 days of elevated air pollution last year, according to a new report.

The report, based on federal Environmental Protection Agency air-monitoring data, led environmental advocates, health professionals and policymakers to call for more urgent action to reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuels, particularly in the transportation sector - the biggest source of greenhouse-gas emissions and other unhealthy pollutants causing smog and respiratory ailments.

While the report found that air-pollution problems persist in regions stretching across the state, from Atlantic City to Jersey City, it suggested the solutions for cleaning up poor air quality are at hand. The report recommends policymakers take steps to electrify buildings, equipment and transportation and strengthen federal air-quality standards.

The report, from the Environment New Jersey Research & Policy Center, Frontier Group, and the NJPIRG Law & Policy Center, focused on ground-level ozone and fine particulates - harmful pollutants that come primarily from burning coal, diesel, gasoline and methane gas, as well as wildfires.

Most Americans impacted

Part of a national analysis, the report found 237 million Americans - more than 70% of the population - were exposed to more than a month of elevated levels of ozone and fine-particulate pollution in 2020. The report defines as elevated levels of those pollutants that the EPA deems safe, and among its recommendations is for the federal agency to adopt a tougher standard.

"No level of air pollution should be considered 'safe.' Even small amounts of pollution have a tremendous negative impact on the health of our residents,'' said Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-Mercer). "Therefore, it is up to us to focus on protecting New Jersey's air and ensuring a healthier and cleaner New Jersey today and for generations to come.''

As it is, New Jersey has never attained the EPA's national air quality standard for ground-level ozone or smog, and only complied with its health standard about six years ago.

For both of those pollutants, transportation is a major factor in contributing to poor air quality.

Although New Jersey has made progress toward cleaner air, it needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels to make lasting improvements, according to Emma Horst-Martz, advocate with the NJPIRG Law and Policy Center.

Many agree that transitioning to electric vehicles is the quickest way to move forward.

"Electrifying all forms of transportation is the way to take the bull by the horns. To state the obvious, remove the tailpipe and there is no pollution,'' said Pam Frank CEO of ChargEVC, an advocacy organization pressing for quicker adoption of electric vehicles. "New Jersey is behind the curve in terms of adopting electric vehicles and eliminating emissions.''

Another report issued Tuesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Union of Concerned Scientists backed up Frank's comments. That report said New Jersey could avoid up to 136,000 respiratory illnesses by transitioning to zero-emission electric trucks to replace fossil fuel-powered trucks that contribute to smog and fine- particulate pollution.

"Adopting standards to increase sales of zero-emission trucks and buses will get rid of our dirty vehicles and create cleaner air that will benefit all New Jerseyans,'' said Taylor McFarland, acting director of the Sierra Club New Jersey.

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Report: NJ had bad air days even during pandemic | NJ Spotlight News

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Even as a pandemic shut down much of the state's economy in 2020, most New Jersey residents suffered through 46 days of elevated air pollution last year, according to a new report.