Announcements
EJMAP Stressors Update
On July 27th, DEP will release an updated version of EJMAP. This update will include new stressor data that has been made publicly available since its original release on April 11th. Any permit application that falls under the EJ Law submitted on or after July 31st must use the new stressor data layer for analysis. The tool will default to the revised layer. The original layer will remain as an archived layer within the tool and will have its own button for permit applications received from April 11th, 2023 to July 30th, 2023.
DEP will post an addendum to the EJMAP technical guidance explaining which data sets were updated on the Office of Environmental Justice page.
Contact environmentaljustice@dep.nj.gov with any questions.
Governor Murphy Announces Filing of
Landmark Advanced Clean Cars II Proposal
On July 17th, Governor Phil Murphy announced the filing of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) proposal with the Office of Administrative Law. ACCII requires vehicle manufacturers to make zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) an increasing percentage of their new light-duty vehicle sales, ramping up to 100% ZEVs by 2035. This will greatly decrease emissions in across the state, but especially in New Jersey's Over Burdened Communities, many of which are adjacent to, or have highways cutting directly through them. The Office of Administrative Law is expected to publish the proposal in the August 21 New Jersey Register, starting a public comment period that will run through October 20, 2023.
Additionally, Governor Murphy announced that New Jersey has signed on to the Accelerating to Zero Coalition’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Declaration, a landmark global agreement launched by the UK at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November 2021 and signed by 41 national governments and 74 cities, states, and regional governments so far. New Jersey has signed on to Section 2C of the Declaration, which commits the state to a zero emission vehicle future in alignment with the Paris Agreement goals. Read the full press release here.
Inland Flood Protection Rule Now Effective, July 17
Governor Phil Murphy announced the Administration’s adoption of the landmark Inland Flood Protection Rule to better protect New Jersey’s communities from worsening riverine flooding and stormwater runoff. This rule updates New Jersey’s existing flood hazard and stormwater regulations by replacing outdated precipitation estimates with modern data that account for observed and projected increases in rainfall. These changes will help reduce flooding from stormwater runoff and increase the resiliency of new developments located in flood-prone inland areas. A copy of the rule and additional information are available here.
Governor Murphy Waives Park Fees
to Promote Affordability and Access for All
 To advance affordability and opportunity in New Jersey, park fees were waived as part of Governor Phil Murphy’s budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which began on July 1, 2023. DEP has launched a social media campaign to encourage the public to beat the heat this summer and enjoy one of New Jersey’s swimming spots free of charge. See more information about state park fees here.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Environmental Justice Law Public Hearings
July 30 - Clean Earth of Cartaret -Solid Waste County Plan Amendment (virtual) (español)
August 22 - Transco LNG Station 240 - Title V Modification - Carlstadt (virtual) (español)
Facilities subject to the Environmental Justice Law must facilitate meaningful opportunities for overburdened communities to engage in permitting decisions for pollution-generating facilities through an enhanced public participation process. Subscribe to EJ Law notices by County
Learn more about the New Jersey Greenway recreation and transportation corridor at the first workshop on July 27!
The Greenway is a nine-mile corridor that connects eight municipalities in Hudson and Essex county. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) acquired this property from Norfolk Southern on August 19, 2022. The NJDEP is conducting a planning process to understand how the Greenway can effectively support the diverse communities that surround it. The first community engagement session will be held on July 27th. See flyer below for more details.
To find out about more ways to share ideas, visit the website or leave a voicemail at 908-340-6611.
  Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan Lunch & Learn
On Wednesday, July 26, at noon, DEP and the NJ League of Municipalities will co-host a virtual Lunch & Learn on the Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan.
DEP’s Office of Climate Resilience (OCR) supports the NJ Interagency Council on Climate Resilience’s (IAC) action plan. The New Jersey IAC is currently developing an Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plan and would like to increase engagement of municipal officials in the process. The session will focus on priorities and needs of heat-impacted, at-risk communities. Guest speakers are Nick Angarone, Chief Climate Resilience Officer, and Nathaly Agosto Filion, Deputy Chief Climate Resilience Officer. RSVP Online.
NEJAC Hybrid Public Meeting July 25-27, 2023
The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) will convene an in person public meeting with a virtual option (hybrid) from July 25th-27th. The in person meeting will be held at The Sheraton Puerto Rico in San Juan. The meeting is free and open to all members of the public. Individual registration for this event is REQUIRED. Those who wish to participate during the public comment period must register by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, July 19, 2023. Learn more about this and future NEJAC meetings.
EPA Launches Nationwide Series of
Community Lead Awareness Sessions
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to protect communities from childhood lead exposure and advance environmental justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a series of free educational sessions on the dangers of lead and ways to reduce and prevent lead exposure. These sessions are based on the Lead Awareness Curriculum, an adaptable resource to protect communities from potential lead exposure, and will be held in English and Spanish.
The sessions will supplement EPA’s local lead training and outreach initiative, which has been implemented in 22 communities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico in 2021 and 2022. Learn more about EPA’s upcoming community lead awareness sessions.
Funding Opportunities
Environmental and Climate (ECJ) Grant Program Design
Webinar Series August 3, 8 and 9, 2023
EPA is hosting three informational webinars on the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) expected to be issued under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Grant Program in 2023. These webinars will provide information on the NOFO and the ECJ Grant Program including who is eligible for the grants, eligible projects, and more. The NOFO will include approximately $2 billion for grants to eligible entities for a wide range of projects that benefit underserved communities including Tribal and Alaskan Native Village areas.
For questions about these webinars or to request reasonable accommodations for a disability, interpretation, and/or translation services in a language other than English, please email ECJRFI@epa.gov. Learn more about the ECJ program, funding and implementation.
EPA Clean School Bus Grant Funding and Webinars
EPA has announced the 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program! Under the 2023 CSB Grant Program, the Agency is asking for applications nationwide to award approximately $400 million in competitive grant funding to eligible applicants for the purchase of zero-emission (ZE) school buses, clean school buses, and ZE charging infrastructure. Applications are due by Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 11:59PM ET.
To assist potential applicants, EPA will host a series of public webinars May through August. Check the Clean School Bus Webinars webpage for upcoming dates.
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.
Career Opportunities
EPA Invites Youth to Serve on Agency’s First-Ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the formal establishment of the agency’s first-ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC). The NEYAC will provide a critical perspective on how the impacts of climate change and other environmental harms affect youth communities. As part of the agency’s commitment to centering environmental justice communities, at least 50% of the overall membership of NEYAC will come from, reside primarily in, and/or do most of their work in disadvantaged communities as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) as part of Justice40.
Applications to the NEYAC are due by August 22, 2023 at 11:59PM ET. EPA will be hosting virtual application webinars where the public can ask EPA staff questions live. Visit the EPA NEYAC webpage for more information on the council and to apply.
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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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