Take Action: Join Submit Public Comment Workshop on Flood Protection
Comment Deadline: November 7, 2024!
New Jersey is at the frontlines of climate change impacts. Extreme weather events, from flash floods to severe storms and relentless heat waves, are increasing. Not only do these climate-fueled disasters cost billions of dollars each year, but they are also claiming lives and threatening the safety and resilience of our communities. But here’s the good news: we have a chance to make New Jersey safer, thanks to new NJPACT and NJREAL regulations from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Here’s how to submit your comments:
- Go to the official comment page (https://dep.nj.gov/njreal/ –> Public Comment)
- Enter your name, note that you are not submitting your comment on behalf of an organization, and share your email address if you choose.
- Under Rule Proposal, select “DEP Docket No. 05-24-05 New Jersey’s Protecting Against Climate Threats (NJPACT) Rules”
- Select the “Entering text” check box
- Paste the message below in the text box – feel free to customize it, of course!
- Click the “Submit” button. You’re done!
Sample message to send to DEP:
“As a proud New Jerseyan, I strongly support the NJPACT REAL Rules, which are crucial for making New Jersey more resilient and better prepared to face the realities of climate change, including the increasing threats of natural disasters, flooding, and sea level rise.
It is critical that we take action to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change by implementing life-saving measures that will prepare New Jersey for future challenges. These measures will help protect lives, reduce millions of dollars in damages, and address the projected 5-foot sea level rise by 2100 in the state. This is the best available science, vetted by experts, and it is critical we follow the science and use the 5-foot projection to protect our property and save lives. Additionally, these changes will support wildlife habitats, benefit businesses, enhance stormwater management, improve water quality, and increase resilience across communities in New Jersey.
I support these vital rules and urge NJDEP to implement the strongest rule possible to protect all communities across New Jersey. NJDEP has confirmed that these rules are based on current scientific evidence, climate reports, and studies.
I urge you to advance these rules and reject any efforts to delay, block, or weaken them, ensuring that New Jersey communities and the environment are protected from the worst effects of climate change.”
MYTHS vs. FACTS
We’ve seen opposition before, and attempts to distort the truth aren’t new. Here are the facts:
https://dep.nj.gov/njreal/
- These rules will protect life and property by requiring resilient design and construction.
- NJPACT REAL will require an assessment in zones that will be inundated by the tide twice daily in future.
- Climate change will make communities uninsurable, and without these rules, costs for New Jerseyans will rise.