At an event held July 8 at South Riverwalk Park in Trenton, elected officials and environmental organizations called for the full adoption of the Department of Environmental Protection’s NJPACT REAL coastal flooding rules, which have an August deadline for adoption, while also announcing the release a digital ad campaign urging Gov. Phil Murphy to adopt the rules.
More than 5 years ago, Murphy announced a plan for DEP to update its flood projection maps to include current and future projected flooding, based on sea level rise projections from the latest climate science from Rutgers and the NJDEP. The package of rules, which was dubbed NJPACT for Protecting Against Climate Threats, moved forward with a partial downpayment in 2023. In 2024, the second part of that promise was issued with rules to ensure new development would not put families at risk in the future and to reverse historic environmental damage.
Those rules continue to be delayed because of strong opposition from developers, says a coalition of environmental organizations, elected officials and sustainable businesses that is calling on Murphy and his administration to adopt rules that reflect climate science, which anticipates sea level rise of up to 5 feet by the end of the century.
“More than half a million acres of New Jersey land is highly vulnerable to coastal hazards. It is only getting worse with increasing impacts from climate change. These rules are needed to protect our communities and natural environment” said Tim Dillingham, executive director, American Littoral Society, in a media release.
In just the last three months there have been multiple flash flood warnings, more than five inches of rain, and various flooded roads around the state, said Michael Pisauro, policy director, The Watershed Institute. “What once was a rare occurrence is happening all too frequently, sometimes with catastrophic results. The science is clear that these climate impacts are only going to get worse,” Pisauro said.
Jennifer M. Coffey, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commission, said NJPACT REAL rules will save lives and protect property. “The real truth about the REAL rules is that they simply require new development to be constructed above the known flood elevation. Flooding is the number one issue where municipal officials tell us they need help. The NJPACT REAL rules are common sense and evidence-based standards that will save communities millions in future damage and will literally save lives by keeping people out of harm’s way. Governor Murphy needs to adopt them before the August 4 deadline,” Coffey said.
Coalition members include Pisauro and Coffey as well as Anjuli Ramos, director, NJ Sierra Club; Allison McLeod, deputy director, NJ League of Conservation Voters; Tim Dillingham, executive director, American Littoral Society; Doug O’Malley, director, Environment New Jersey; Bill Kibler, executive director, Great Swamp Watershed Association; Michael Klein, Pinelands Preservation Alliance; and Rebecca Lubot, executive director, NJ Sustainable Business Network.
Michael Pisauro, policy director of The Watershed Institute, speaks at an event held in Trenton on July 8 urging adoption of REAL coastal flooding rules by the August deadline. (Facebook photo) ,
