NJ bill derided as a 'rain tax' is law. Here's what it really is and who will pay.
News Article • 3/20/2019 • by Scott Fallon at North Jersey
Towns and counties will have the power to impose fees on property owners to pay for upgrades to antiquated stormwater systems based on how much they contribute to runoff, under a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Phil Murphy.
COMMUNITIES GET THE OK TO ASSESS FEES TO FUND STORMWATER UTILITIES
News Article • 3/20/2019 • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
A decade-long battle to give local governments a tool to deal with storm runoff — the state’s biggest source of pollution for streams, rivers, and bays — ended yesterday with Gov. Phil Murphy signing a bill without fanfare that will do just that.
MURPHY HITS BRAKES ON DIVERSION OF FUNDS FROM HOUSING, ENERGY PROGRAMS
News Article • 3/6/2019 • by Tom Johnson and Colleen O'Dea at NJ Spotlight
Gov. Phil Murphy pledged to end the practice of diverting funds from state affordable-housing and clean-energy programs, a budget tactic embraced by previous governors that he had continued, albeit not as aggressively as his predecessors.
Pinelands pipeline in doubt after B.L. England owner quits natural gas plan
News Article • 2/28/2019 • by Russ Zimmer at Asbury Park Press
"Governor Murphy and his administration have steadfastly stood by their commitment to 100 (percent) clean energy by 2050, and because of that, we are beginning to see the makings of a fossil-free New Jersey," said Ed Potosnak, executive director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, in a statement this morning.
PANEL OKS SPENDING BILL THAT BOOSTS ROLE OF NONPROFITS IN PRESERVATION PROJECTS
News Article • 1/30/2019 • by Tom Johnson at NJ Spotlight
Lawmakers appear to have settled on a mechanism for allocating constitutionally dedicated funds to preserve open space, farmland, and historic structures for the next fiscal year and beyond.
Climate change in NJ: Grading Phil Murphy's first year
News Article • 1/17/2019 • by Russ Zimmer at Asbury Park Press
Inch by inch, over the next several decades, the Atlantic Ocean is going to claim more of the barrier islands and low-lying coastal areas.
Monsoon-like rainstorms will become more commonplace, as will heat waves in the summer. The Pinelands will be under attack by tree-killing bugs from the South and commercial fishermen will have to adapt to hunting new species of fish.
This is how climate change will manifest in New Jersey, a reality that Gov. Phil Murphy, unlike his predecessor, acknowledges and has pledged to both resist and prepare for.
"Unless we do more (to counter climate change), the question isn’t whether we’ll see another superstorm like Sandy, but simply a question of when,” Murphy said during a speech in Highlands two weeks after his inauguration. “As the densest state in the nation, we can ill afford to keep our heads in the sand when it comes to climate change.“
Murphy sets sights on business tax breaks in State of the State
News Article • 1/16/2019 • by Michelle Brunetti Post at Press of Atlantic City
But League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Ed Potosnak defended Murphy’s first-year record.
“Our state has made huge strides to turn back the hands of time on the toxic legacy of the Christie administration,” Potosnak said, by advancing clean energy and environmental justice.
Leaders, Legislators React To Governor Murphy’s 2019 State Of The State Address
News Article • 1/15/2019
Various organizations, leaders, and legislators weighed in on Governor Murphy’s 2019 State of the State address (read the speech and watch the live stream here):
HAS MURPHY MADE GOOD ON HIS PROMISES? TAKING STOCK AT THE 1-YEAR MARK
News Article • 1/15/2019 • by Colleen O'Dea at NJ Spotlight
“The governor’s first year has been a whirlwind of pro-environmental actions and commitments to conservation, including creating 100,000 jobs in energy efficiency, reversing rollbacks such as the Highlands Septic Density rule, standing up to polluters and developers, and making sweeping changes at the DEP that puts science-based decision making a top priority,” said Ed Potosnak, the fund’s executive director, who gave the Murphy administration a B+.
Green groups give Murphy mixed scores after his first year in office
News Article • 1/14/2019 • by Danielle Muoio at Politico
Two influential environmental groups gave Gov. Phil Murphy mixed reviews for his first year in Trenton, but both agreed the progress he initially made on key environmental issues has declined since his first 100 days in office.
The New Jersey Sierra Club issued a scathing scorecard on Monday, giving the Democratic governor a “D” for what it said was a “a lack of leadership on many key issues.” Murphy fared better last week with the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, which gave him a “B+” for enacting “a whirlwind of pro-environmental actions and commitments to conservation.”