Announcements
Apply to join NJ's Environmental Justice Advisory Council!
DEP is seeking applications from interested individuals to be considered for appointment to the Environmental Justice Advisory Council (EJAC).
There are seven (7) vacancies for three-year terms from 2023 through 2026 in the following sectors:
Subscribe to EJ Law Notices by County
Did you know that you can receive notices to upcoming EJ Law application hearings in your area? Subscribe online and select the counties in which you'd like to stay up-to-date for hearings near you.
Murphy Administration Launches NJ-TAP to Help Disadvantaged Communities Deliver Safe and Reliable Drinking Water
DEP Commissioner LaTourette announced the launch of NJ-TAP, an initiative providing enhanced technical assistance to help disadvantaged communities provide safe and reliable drinking water to residents.
NJ-TAP (New Jersey Technical Assistance Program) will prioritize aid to communities identified as disadvantaged or overburdened to identify lead service lines, develop asset management and capital improvement plans, and identify sources of state and federal funding to assist with important water-quality improvement projects. This aid is being provided free of charge to participating water systems.
NJ-TAP has three major avenues of assistance:
- Lead Assistance
- General (non-lead) Assistance
- Community Engagement and Outreach Assistance
Water system representatives interested in participating in NJ-TAP should contact the NJDEP using the web form available online.
Hurricane Ida Recovery Programs Update
In addition to the programs mentioned below, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) launched another initiative called the Small Rental Repair Program (SRRP). SRRP provides zero-interest forgivable loans to owners of rental properties with one to seven units that require repair and/or elevation as a result of damages from Hurricane Ida. The program also allows for mitigation activities such as structural and utility retrofits, grading and slope stabilization, and drainage improvements that are designed to make the rental housing more resilient in future storm events. Assistance also may be provided to make housing accessible for individuals living with disabilities.
Rental property owners can learn more about the program online. They can also call (609) 292-3750 or email DisasterRecoveryandMitigation@dca.nj.gov for more information.
The following programs are accepting applications:
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Homeowner Assistance Recovery Program: This program provides grants to owner-occupied properties to repair, rebuild, and/or elevate their storm-damaged home.
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Tenant-Based Rental Assistance: This program provides supplemental rental assistance for households impacted by Hurricane Ida.
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Housing Counseling and Legal Services: This program provides supportive services, such as foreclosure prevention, relocation services, and debt management, and assists with application intake for CDBG-DR-funded programs to help impacted residents transition to more permanent housing.
Additional programs are being developed and will launch in the coming months. Visit online for more information or to apply for storm recovery programs. The Partner Outreach Toolkit also includes social media content and a fact sheet about the Small Rental Repair Program.
Murphy Administration Awards $1.1 Million in Urban and Community Forestry Grants to Enhance Management of
NJ's Urban Trees and Forests
DEP is awarding 23 Urban and Community Forestry grants totaling $1, 106, 934 to local governments and non-profit organizations to help municipalities advance the stewardship of their urban and community trees and forests. These grants assist in the establishment and growth of local, self-sustaining urban and community forestry programs. To view the full list of recipients, read the corresponding press release.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Administrative Order 2021-25 Public Hearings
April 13 - Sims Metal Newark (virtual)
April 17 - Camden Iron & Metal (in-person) (español)
April 18 - Recycle City (virtual)
April 20 - Vineland Municipal Electric Utility (in-person)
April 24 - Gaeta Recycling (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.
DEP Requests for Expression of Interest in
EJ Climate Action Planning
DEP is soliciting interest from relevant potential partners located in New Jersey to host stakeholder engagement activities about climate action planning with environmental justice communities in New Jersey. Interested parties are invited to submit expressions of interest describing their capabilities and approach to stakeholder engagement via email by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on April 17, 2023, to NJClimate@dep.nj.gov with the subject line: EJ Climate Action Expression of Interest. DEP may act on proposals from up to three respondents. The selected respondents will be named as a subrecipient of federal funding in the Department’s application to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. Learn more on DEP's Climate Change webpage.
Comment Opportunities
Extended: Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) Comment Period
Now Open until April 30
DEP is granting a 30-day extension to ensure community members have ample time to submit comments under the Administrative Order 2021-25. Comments can be sent to skjellberg@cpv.com or via the United States Postal Service to Scott Kjellberg, Competitive Power Ventures, 50 Braintree Hill Office Park #300, Braintree, MA 02184.
Funding Opportunities
EPA Announces $3 Million for NJ to Plan Innovative Climate Projects Across the State
EPA announced it will award $3 million for New Jersey to plan innovative strategies to cut climate pollution and build clean energy economies across the state. Earlier this month, EPA announced the availability of the funds, which represent the first funding going to states, local governments, Tribes, and territories from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program. NJ will use the funds to augment planning already underway in the state in collaboration with partners, including municipalities statewide, and conduct meaningful engagement, including with overburdened communities throughout the state that are often the most impacted by climate change. Visit EPA's CPRG page for more information.
Murphy Administration Offering $19 Million in Grants to Assist Municipalities with New Stormwater Permitting Requirements
The Murphy Administration announced the availability of $19 million in grants to help municipalities with the transition to new municipal stormwater permitting system requirements designed to better protect NJ's waterways from pollutants in stormwater. These permitting changes will also help mitigate localized flooding that is increasing due to climate change.
Full details of the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) are available online. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis through December 31, 2023.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $550 Million to Advance Environmental Justice Through EPA’s New
Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program
The Biden-Harris Administration announced the availability of $550 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to expedite investments through the EPA's new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) program. This program will fund up to 11 entities to serve as grantmakers to community-based projects that reduce pollution. The entities eligible to apply under this Request for Applications (RFA) include:
- A community-based nonprofit organization;
- A partnership of community-based nonprofit organizations;
- A partnership between a Tribal Nation and a community-based nonprofit organization; or,
- A partnership between an institution of higher education and a community-based nonprofit organization.
EPA intends to award up to 11 cooperative agreements under this RFA for up to approximately $50 million each to be funded incrementally over a 3-year period. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2023. To view the Request for Applications, please visit the grants webpage.
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.
EJ in the News
EPA Orders Occidental Chemical Corp. to Design Cleanup Plan for the Upper Nine Miles of the Lower Passaic River at the
Diamond Alkali Superfund Site
EPA issued an administrative order requiring Occidental Chemical Corp. (OxyChem) to design the interim cleanup plan that EPA selected in September 2021 for the upper nine miles of the Lower Passaic River Study Area of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site in New Jersey. OxyChem will be responsible for preparing work plans and conducting a preliminary investigation. This includes sampling to identify contamination boundaries. OxyChem will also conduct studies to assess the river bottom, shoreline, and other aspects of the river in preparation for the cleanup. Following EPA approval, the final design report will include monitoring plans, health and safety plans, and provide a detailed outline of the cleanup plan, including specific details on how the cleanup will be conducted.
Visit the Diamond Alkali Co. Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.
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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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