|
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.
Environmental Justice Newsletter
June 5th, 2025
Summary of Important Dates
Upcoming EJ Law Hearings
|
| |
There are no upcoming public hearings at this time.
|
Announcements
Governor Murphy, Senate President Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Coughlin Announce Direct Economic Relief to Lower Monthly Energy Costs for New Jerseyans
Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Nick Scutari, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin today announced over $430 million in direct relief to lower the cost of energy bills. Administered by programs like Residential Energy Assistance Program (REAP), this relief will help offset utility rate increases. With funding provided, in part, by Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proceeds, all 3.9 million ratepayers in New Jersey will receive at least $100 in direct relief, while eligible low-to-moderate income (LMI) New Jerseyans will see at least $150 more deducted from their energy bills. These economic credits will provide immediate relief for low-income communities, helping ensure energy affordability while energy providers work to implement long-term clean energy solutions. Learn more online.
Murphy Administration Launches Extreme Heat Awareness Week to Help the Public Cope with Dangers of Hotter Summers
This week, the Murphy Administration kicked off New Jersey’s first Extreme Heat Awareness Week to equip the public with the information and tools to cope with the many impacts of extreme heat driven by climate change, especially health-related effects. In response to disproportionate warming throughout the state, this multi-pronged public education campaign includes social media posts related to extreme heat safety, brief documentaries chronicling New Jerseyans’ experiences with extreme heat, and social media toolkits designed for use by government agencies and municipalities to help deepen residents’ understanding of the health, environmental and societal costs of a warming planet. The campaign highlights resources like Heat Hub NJ, which provides key information on the health impacts of extreme heat, maps cooling center locations, outlines heat mitigation strategies in overburdened communities, and reviews actions to protect vulnerable populations during heat waves. Learn more online.
ICYMI: Environmental Justice Advisory Council Public Meeting Notes Now Available!
On April 9th, NJDEP's Environmental Justice Advisory Council (EJAC) held its first public meeting to discuss environmental issues facing overburdened communities (OBCs) that require more attention, and to help inform the Council's future projects and advising decisions for various environmental justice initiatives. Commenters highlighted odors, waste management, access to green space, site remediation and public health planning, environmental education, flooding, and equitable urban design as priority issues.
Meeting minutes are now available. Learn more online.
Participation Opportunities
Upcoming Environmental Justice Law Public Hearings
There are no upcoming public hearings at this time.
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
 IAC Extreme Heat Webinar Series: Does Extreme Heat Threaten NJ's Environmental Justice Goals?
Join New Jersey’s Interagency Council on Climate Resilience (IAC) on Wednesday, June 18th for at 11am for an upcoming webinar on how extreme heat events induced by climate change affect New Jersey's overburdened communities. This session will feature NJDEP’s Office of Environmental Justice Director Kandyce Perry moderating a conversation with three New Jersey urban policy and planning experts as they discuss how communities are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat in the state, the urban heat island effect, and mitigation strategies through the lens of environmental justice. Learn more online.
 Climate Action Community Listening Sessions: Central and South Jersey
This June, Native American Advancement Corp (NAAC), and the Southern Burlington County NAACP, in partnership with the NJDEP, are hosting a series of virtual listening sessions to discuss climate action and air pollution priorities in Central and South Jersey. Feedback and suggested solutions from each session will help shape New Jersey’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan – which will be released this year. Previously identified priorities include, among others, centering environmental justice communities in decision-making, ensuring those most burdened by pollution are prioritized in decarbonization efforts, ensuring energy remains affordable for low-income and renter households, creating ‘zero-emissions zones’ in port communities, and ensuring equitable access to clean transportation.
DEP is providing three opportunities – both daytime and evening time—for community members to attend and participate in a way that works best for their schedule:
All listening sessions will be formatted the same and involve a facilitated discussion of the same series of climate action topics. Learn more online.
Funding and Technical Assistance Opportunities
In case you missed it, see below for opportunities that provide funding and assistance for projects related to green infrastructure, climate change, healthy communities, and more.
NJ Fleet Advisor Fleet Electrification Assistance Program
Applications are now open for the second round of the New Jersey Fleet Advisor (NJFA) program! New Jersey Fleet Advisor will provide technical assistance to 15 fleets interested in learning how to transition to zero-emission vehicles. Participating fleets will receive a personalized Fleet Electrification Roadmap document that reviews vehicle recommendations, cost projections, on-site electric infrastructure assessments, and other key information to support the transition to zero-emission alternatives. The program will help to reduce administrative burdens for fleet decisionmakers, expand access to resources and technical information, and help facilitate clean energy transition throughout the state. Public, private, and non-profit entities, including school districts, are eligible to apply.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Lean more online.
|
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.
|
|
