Is New Jersey any safer than it was last year when President Joe Biden toured flooded sections of Manville after the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Ida?
The Watershed Institute, other environmental leaders, and elected officials think not. We urge Gov. Phil Murphy to take steps to address increased rainfall and flooding given the realities of climate change.
To this end, there will be an in-person press conference at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 at 306 North Second Ave in Manville, outside of a home that was badly damaged in by the remnants of the storm.
Speakers at the press conference will outline why it is vital to stop building in places that put people in harm’s way by passing the New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats (NJPACT).
Manville Mayor Richard Onderko, Cranbury Mayor Dr. Barbara Rogers, Princeton Councilmember David Cohen, The Watershed Institute Executive Director Jim Waltman, Environment New Jersey Executive Director Doug O’Malley, Raritan Headwaters Association Director of Policy Bill Kibler, and other speakers are expected to share their views on why NJPACT is necessary to address the impacts of Ida and other powerful storms.
The NJPACT initiative offers vital pieces of the solution and the state Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), after years of public hearings, has the latitude to issue these rules. The rules will upgrade the flood hazard and stormwater guidelines, better preparing the state for the impacts of climate change.
The drumbeat of press coverage and actions by environmental groups follows a letter sent to the governor on June 17 urging him to act immediately on NJPACT.
