Announcements
Murphy Administration Awards $24.3 Million Through
Natural Climate Solutions Grant Program
Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced the award of $24.3 million in Natural Climate Solutions Grants to local governments and nonprofits to create, restore, and enhance New Jersey’s green spaces and tree canopies in urban areas, salt marshes and forests.
The announcement underscores the important role natural resources play in sequestering carbon to meet the Garden State’s greenhouse gas goals. Meeting the state’s 2050 goal of an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases below 2006 levels requires an acceleration of the restoration of our shorelines, forests, and urban spaces. It is estimated that these projects will sequester 32,710 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) by 2050.
Funding provided to New Jersey Conservation Foundation for their Throwin’ Shade: Greening the Capital City project will allow the organization to plant a total of 1,000 trees in Trenton to enhance the city’s urban tree canopy.
The city of Newark, another recipient, received $1.2 million to remove hazardous, dead trees and plant 331 new trees in five target neighborhoods in the city.
Projects announced are funded through New Jersey’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state, market-based program that establishes a regional cap on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel power plants.
NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program Seeks EJ Partners for
Citizens Advisory Committee
The New York – New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) is seeking new partners to join and become part of HEP’s Citizens Advisory Committee and help bring EJ issues and expertise to our discussions and decisions. Recognizing that Committee participation presents a particular burden on organizations representing and working in disadvantaged communities, HEP will provide an honorarium of $3,000 a year for the newly selected officers who become part CAC’s Leadership starting in the new year.
The newly selected officers would agree to:
- Attend and participate in all quarterly CAC meetings in 2023
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Present and/share highlights on their work during at least one CAC meeting in 2023
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Participate in the review of the content for each quarterly CAC meeting and and provide feedback wherever applicable
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Be an active participant in CAC related discussions during and in between quarterly meetings
Please use this form to indicate your interest in becoming part of HEP’s Citizens Advisory Committee by January 27, 2023. For any questions related to this announcement, please don’t hesitate to contact HEP Community Stewardship Manager, Elizabeth Balladares at eballadares@hudsonriver.org.
EPA Proposes to Strengthen Air Quality Standards to Protect
Public from Harmful Effects of Soot
The U.S. EPA is announcing a proposal to strengthen a key national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5, to better protect communities, including those most overburdened by pollution. Fine particles, sometimes called soot, can penetrate deep into the lungs and can result in serious health effects that include asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death – disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations including children, older adults, those with heart or lung conditions, as well as communities of color and low-income communities throughout the United States.
EPA will accept public comment for 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. EPA will also conduct a virtual public hearing over several days for this proposed rulemaking, with the hearing beginning at 11:00 am Eastern Time and concluding at 7:00 pm ET each day. EPA will begin pre-registering speakers for the hearing upon publication of the announcement of the public hearings in the Federal Register. Additional information will also be made available on the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM webpage.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Administrative Order 2021-25 Public Hearings
January 19 - Linden Sanitary Landfill (in person) en español
January 25 - Montclair State University (virtual)
February 6 - Vicinity Energy, Mercer County (virtual)
February 15 - LyondellBasell Equistar (virtual)
Facilities subject to the Environmental Justice Law and the Administrative Order 2021-25 must facilitate meaningful opportunities for overburdened communities to engage in permitting decisions for pollution-generating facilities through an enhanced public participation process.
Rulemaking Stakeholder Meetings - Green Acres
The Office of Transactions & Public Land Administration (OTPLA) is conducting a series of stakeholder meetings to obtain public input on Subchapters 25 and 26 of the Green Acres Program rules, N.J.A.C. 7:36. Please note that this stakeholder process relates only to Subchapters 25 and 26; a future rulemaking will be initiated by the Green Acres Program relative to the remainder of the Green Acres Program rules at N.J.A.C. 7:36.
Join us for stakeholder meetings on the following dates:
- January 24, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM–open to the general public
- January 26, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM–open to the general public
- January 31, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM–open to the general public
Click here to get the videoconferencing link and more information.
If you are unable to attend the stakeholder meetings but wish to comment on these subchapters, or you have questions about the meetings, please send an email to otpla@dep.nj.gov and include the word “Rulemaking” in the subject line.
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Comment Opportunities
Public Comment Open for Inland Flood Protection Rule
The Inland Flood Protection rule, meant to better protect New Jersey’s communities from worsening riverine flooding and stormwater runoff, was published in the New Jersey Register.
Key changes:
- Require stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) to manage runoff for both current and future storms;
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New Design Flood Elevation (DFE) raises riverine (non-tidal) flood elevation mapped by NJDEP by two feet;
- Requires use of future projected precipitation when calculating flood elevations and designing stormwater management systems.
Publication initiates a 60-day comment period that ends on February 3.
Comment Period Extended and Electronic Submission Option for Settlement from Former Ciba-Geigy Chemical Plant in Toms River
The comment period for the proposed Natural Resource Damages Settlement at Ciba Geigy Toms River Superfund Site has been extended from 30 days to 60 days, making the final submission deadline February 3. Comments may now also be submitted either electronically or as a hard copy.
Electronic Submission:
Commenters should provide their name and submit comments to: onrr@dep.nj.gov
Hard Copy Submission:
David Bean, Chief, Office of Natural Resource Restoration, NJDEP
501 East State Street, Mail Code 501-03, PO Box 420,
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420.
View the December 5 Press Release and Proposed Settlement Resources for more information.
Funding Opportunities
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of $100 Million through Inflation Reduction Act for Environmental Justice Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of approximately $100 million for projects that advance environmental justice in underserved and overburdened communities across the country. This funding, made possible through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, marks the largest amount of environmental justice grant funding ever offered. Read the full EPA news release here.
Green Acres Opens 2023 Funding Round
The Green Acres Program is accepting applications for the 2023 Local and Nonprofit Assistance funding round for land acquisition, park development, stewardship, Jake’s Law (Inclusive Playgrounds), and Urban Parks projects. Funding for 2023 will be used to advance the DEP’s environmental justice and climate change priorities by prioritizing projects that offer equitable and meaningful public access, and maximize social, environmental and health benefits to the public. The deadline is March 1, 2023. Supplemental funding requests for active projects also are due on March 1st.
Upcoming application information sessions will be held on February 1st, and February 22nd. Applications and details about the virtual sessions are posted on the Green Acres website.
Murphy Administration Announces More Than $8 Million to Build a Diverse, Inclusive Green Jobs Sector
Governor Phil Murphy’s Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy (OCAGE) and DEP announced the release of a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) to support pilot programs to build a diverse, inclusive green workforce. Through the Building our Resilient, Inclusive, and Diverse Green Economy (NJ BRIDGE) initiative, a total of $5 million is available to fund scalable projects to support residents in the green workforce with a focus on engagement in overburdened communities.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) began accepting applications on December 8 for a competitive grant program that will help New Jerseyans, particularly those in overburdened communities, develop skills for offshore wind careers. The $3.725 million Offshore Wind Workforce and Skills Development Grant Challenge (Grant Challenge) will offer grants to selected entities that will aid in launching or expanding workforce training and skills programs focused on strengthening and diversifying New Jersey’s offshore wind workforce.
Respondents are invited to submit proposals in response to this solicitation.
New Funding for Nationwide Brownfields Technical Assistance, Research Grants, and Technical Assistance to Brownfields Providers
Last week, the US EPA announced Requests for Applications for $57 million in funding that is available for two new Brownfields technical assistance opportunities:
- Brownfields Technical Assistance and Research cooperative agreements, and
- Technical Assistance to Brownfields communities.
Applications for both funding opportunities are due by February 14. The Request for Application notices are now posted on the FY2023 Application Resources for Brownfields Technical Assistance page.
EJ in the News
Murphy Administration Issues First Permits Implementing Long-Term Combined Sewer Reduction Plans
The Murphy Administration marked a milestone in improving the health of New Jersey’s waterways by issuing draft permits to address combined sewer overflows from the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority Woodcliff Sewage Treatment Plant and the adjoining Town of Guttenberg along the Hudson River in Hudson County.
DEP will hold a virtual public hearing to solicit public comment on the draft permits on January 23, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, then again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (or end of testimony, whichever comes first). A link and a telephone number to the virtual public hearing will be provided on the Department’s Pollutant Discharge System (NJPDES) Division of Water Quality website the morning of the hearing.
The draft NJPDES permit renewals for the Woodcliff plant and the Town of Guttenberg are available for inspection, by appointment which can be made online or by calling (609) 341-3121. Copies of the draft permits are available on the DEP’s Division of Water Quality website.
Comments may be submitted in writing by the close of the public comment period to:
Susan Rosenwinkel, Chief, or Attention:
Comments on Public Notice NJ0029084 and/or NJ0108715
Mail Code 401-02B,
Division of Water Quality, Bureau of Surface Water & Pretreatment Permitting,
P.O. Box 420, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420
Comments via email are also acceptable and can be sent to dwq_bswp@dep.nj.gov
The public comment period is scheduled to end on February 13.
EJ Resources
Biden-Harris Administration Releases Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook for Clean Energy and Climate Programs
The White House released the first edition of a new resource titled Building a Clean Energy Economy: A Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Investments in Clean Energy and Climate Action, which provides clear descriptions of the law’s tax incentives and funding programs to build a clean energy economy, lower energy costs, tackle climate change, and reduce harmful pollution. The Guidebook will help state, local, territorial, and Tribal leaders, the private sector, non-profit organizations, homeowners, and communities better understand how they can benefit from these investments and unlock the full potential of the law.
The Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook follows the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook and creates a roadmap for the clean energy and climate funding available under the law at the program level. New developments will be published online.
To view the Guidebook in full, click here.
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All New Jersey residents, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin, have a right to live, work, and recreate in a clean and healthy environment. Historically, New Jersey’s low-income communities and communities of color face a disproportionately high number of environmental and public health stressors and, as a result, suffer from increased adverse health effects. New Jersey seeks to correct these outcomes by furthering the promise of environmental justice.
DEP’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) aims to improve the quality of life in New Jersey’s most vulnerable communities by educating and empowering communities who are often outside of government decision-making processes and guiding DEP’s programs and other state departments and agencies in implementing environmental justice.
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