Announcements
Commissioner LaTourette Joins Vice President Harris to Announce New Jersey's Participation in Program to Accelerate
Lead Service Line Replacements in Underserved Communities
On Friday, January 27 Commissioner LaTourette joined Vice President Harris and U.S. EPA Administrator Regan at a White House Lead Action Summit to announce New Jersey’s participation in a federal program helping local governments identify and replace lead service lines that impact the safety of drinking water in homes and businesses across the country.
The Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerator community initiative, made possible by dedicated funding provided through the landmark the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), is designed to help underserved communities address the complex problem of identifying and replacing lead-containing service lines.
The initial New Jersey communities participating in the program are East Newark and Harrison. The DEP will be working to add more communities.
Governor Murphy signed a law in July 2021 that requires drinking water systems to inventory service lines, notify residents of the potential presence of lead in their service lines, and plan for the replacement of all lead service lines within 10 years, an effort that is well underway in towns across New Jersey. Visit here for information on this effort and steps to reduce the impacts of lead in the home.
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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.
To read the full press release and complete list of awardees click here.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Administrative Order 2021-25 Public Hearings
February 6 - Vicinity Energy, Mercer County (virtual)
February 15 - LyondellBasell Equistar (virtual)
February 22 - Bayonne Energy Center (virtual)
February 28 - Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) Woodbridge Energy Center (virtual) (español)
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.
EPA Webinar on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Funding
Thursday, February 9, 12-1:30pm EST
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites you to join our webinar to learn how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding can help communities improve their water and wastewater infrastructure.
During this webinar you will hear about:
- How state revolving fund (SRF) program funds work.
- The experiences of state programs and community recipients.
- What resources are available (current and upcoming) for information and technical assistance.
- Where to go for more information and to stay in the loop!
Webinar Dates Approaching for Overview on Developing New Jersey Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan
New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience is seeking public input on how the state should address extreme heat priorities and concerns as part of the Interagency Council’s development of a series of plans outlining how state agencies will incorporate climate resilience into their policies, programs and regulations.
The series of documents, known as Resilience Action Plans, will build on the Statewide Climate Change Resilience Strategy released in 2021 and provide more detail on how the strategy’s recommendations are being implemented. The first Resilience Action Plan, to be released later this year, will focus on state agency efforts to address increasing extreme heat events resulting from climate change, such as those experienced during the summer of 2022.
The Interagency Council is seeking public feedback through Friday, March 17 on extreme heat priorities and concerns, as well as a scoping document that addresses the Resilience Action Plan’s purpose, development process and content. The Resilience Action Plan initiative and the scoping document will be presented at a webinar on Thursday, Feb. 9, with a second webinar on Thursday, March 2 seeking public input on potential extreme heat issues.
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.
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.
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.
An upcoming application information session will be held on February 22nd. Applications and details about the virtual sessions are posted on the Green Acres website.
Notice of Funding: Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program
HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes made available $403 million for the Lead Hazard Reduction grant program. Grants are for evaluating and mitigating threats from lead-based paint hazards in privately-owned pre-1978 housing that is not receiving federal assistance (the residents may have housing choice vouchers, however), as well as for identifying and controlling additional housing-related health and safety hazards in those homes; outreach, training, and related work are eligible activities. As listed online, the funds are for States and Native American Tribes that have EPA-authorized lead abatement certification programs.
Download the application package here.
The completed application package is due (through Grants.gov) by 11:59:59 PM EDT March 14, 2023.
Recordings of the Q&A webinars regarding this funding are available online.
New Jersey American Water Accepting Applications for
15th Annual Environmental Grant Program
Applications are being accepted for green project funding through New Jersey American Water’s Fifteenth Annual Environmental Grant Program. The program offers grants of $1,000 to $10,000 for qualifying innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore, or protect watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies throughout the company’s service areas. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and projects are selected based on various criteria including goals, impact, innovation, design, and sustainability. Applications are due by March 31, and recipients will be notified in mid-April. More information and application requirements can be obtained on the New Jersey American Water website. Read more on the press release.
EJ Tools
New Jersey Departments of Community Affairs, Health, and Environmental Protection Launch Expanded
Potential Lead Exposure Mapping Tool
New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), announced the launch of an expanded version of the Potential Lead Exposure Mapping or PLEM tool, which provides new publicly available data that indicate potential sources of lead exposure.
The PLEM tool can be found here: Potential Lead Exposure Mapping (PLEM) – Housing in New Jersey (arcgis.com). The DCA contributed the latest data layers visualizing one- and two-bedroom rental housing units constructed prior to 1980 and applicable lead inspection methodology required in each municipality.
The tool may be used by local health officers, community groups, and other members of the public to help identify the potential sources of lead exposure. The PLEM tool also will have multiple uses that will be phased in over time. Phase 1 will look specifically at lead paint in housing as a source of exposure while future phases will examine other indicators of childhood blood lead poisoning risk.
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.
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.
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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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