With 130-Mile Coast, New Jersey Marks a First in Climate Change Fight

Yes, developers need to be regulated. Just look around the world and see the mess we're in thanks to developers run amok with dollar signs in their eyes. Sound development policy is what's needed, not free-rein development for the greedy.

Bravo!

Let's do nothing... because doing something might cost money... If there is a God he's laughing... we'd let the world sink into the oceans to spend less of the paper money we invented... Maybe there should be a cost benefit analysis - where the cost includes moving everyone to Mars, after we spend a trillion trillion trying to make it inhabitable.. Trump's Space force! way to go!

The Meadowlands becomes The Marshlands becomes open water.

As someone who grew up in NJ, spent summers at the shore, and saw the effects of climate change on the coastal communities firsthand, I am extremely proud of my home state today.

Glad Governor Murphy is taking action as he promised. However, this is just a start. We need to move forward quickly given the statistics regarding the water tables & temperatures rising faster here in NJ than other states. Living in the NJ shore area, I've watched the fast moving environmental changes occurring here. In the past, we'd see flooding only occasionally after very heavy rain. Since HurricaneSandy, it's now a common issue with every single storm, despite the installation of increased storm drainage. The same is true in the northern areas of NJ in communities bordering rivers. Americans need to realize we can't beat Mother nature. The best start would be curtailing any further barrier island or waterfront development. Raising or elevating homes isn't the answer but instead a bandaid. Vehicles, other buildings & utilities are still affected by flooding. Barnegat Bay needs continued protection. We're finally seeing important improvements in local shellfish which naturally clean the waters & are a critical predictor of the water quality & health. Without constant monitoring & surveillance, this can change. Using the methods successfully installed in the Netherlands, throughout the U.S. would be the ideal but without Federal support, this isn't a reality. All states are dealing with the climate crisis in varying degrees. Americans have to remove the blinders & handle this challenge head on.

A number of the "red" states border the Atlantic coast and will presumably face harsher economic punishment from sea level rise than more inland states. How long will their politicos see benefits from lower taxes as the climate punishes them for their short-sightedness?

Bravo to Mr. Murphy and NJ. We must stop arguing about whether climate change is man-made or a natural phenomenon (probably both) and spend our time, energy and money dealing with the consequences which are clearly happening for all to see and experience, whether a farmer in the midwest, a rancher in the southwest, a surfer in CA or a beach-goer in NJ! Intelligent policy is the answer and NJ is showing the way for both business and we the taxpayers who are always asked to bail out those who refuse to do the right/sensible thing for a healthy future.

Thank you, Governor Murphy. You make me proud to live in New Jersey.

A question for the Times. Are you aware of the steps (if any) being taken by other seaboard states? The whole Eastern Seaboard is in the very same danger as New Jersey and the "Heads in the sand" approach is beyond pointless. I won't even mention the Gulf which is already losing the rising water battle.

If people build in areas subject to flooding due to climate change, they should not be eligible for FEMA support when it happens, much less tax support before.

We need to address the reality as the Dutch have and leave our shore lines as a defense and engineer smart solutions to absorb and redistribute water from storm surges, rain events and raising sea levels if we want to preserve everything that we as humans have built around our precious oceans and rivers. That requires us not to reconstruct every time structures are washed away or damaged. Reality is harsh, when flood hits these houses and buildings need to be relocated and we should not allow for federal or state insurance monies go for rebuild on vulnerable shorelines.

While this is another good move by the State of New Jersey, showing they’re now taking climate change seriously, there’s a more basic, fundamental step they’re not doing beyond this issue. It involves living up to democratic accountability, showing decency, and it’s easy to do. As one of the earliest to urge them to address climate change decades ago, even before the enviros, I’ve continued to send them ideas on climate change and related ones on a green economy. The latter involves the premise that addressing climate change is actually good for business—at least for those who like the article shows hints of, are prepared to look at things differently. While occasionally I get promises from New Jersey State Government to get back to me, that does not happen. Usually these articles, reports, letters, and the ideas in them, get ignored. I totally understand disagreement with new ideas. That’s fine. But it’s hard to understand lack of basic responsiveness to someone trying to be helpful from an Administration I otherwise see as trying to do the right thing. We are still missing so much! Why not take advantage of ideas from outside usual channels? It’s at least something to respond with: “Thank you. But not at this time.” Better is: “We don’t like your ‘X’ idea; but we’ll consider your ‘Y.” Even better is “Your ‘Z’ idea is getting us seriously thinking. But we see a problem with an element of it. Can you suggest a way around it?” Taking public comments at a forum doesn’t do it.

Florida has stricter building requirements than Alabama and this causes beach front properties to cost more than ones in Florida. It does not seem to restrict building in Florida.

The devil will be in the details, of course. And while the real target may be the Shore towns that get wiped out with every storm surge, you want to be careful not to discourage vertical development in the NYC region along the Hudson, where density, access to transit and other factors make for very climate-friendly growth.

Sounds like property values should drop considerably on the shoreline. Lower values, lower property taxes. Significantly lower property taxes. The folks in Trenton may want to consider the actual property tax receipts of the properties effected by climate change. The state cannot afford to lose 30%-50% of property tax receipts. The State currently has a fiscal hole that makes climate change look like a rain storm, digging that hole deeper and wider is not a smart thing to do.

Hurray for New Jersey! Virginia should do the same. Now!

About 10 years ago, Environmentalists with PHD’s came to meet with a group of us over rising back bay waters. It was their take it was 50-50. That is overdevelopment on the mainland and rising sea levels. Yet, that obviously has not been mentioned here. Governor Murphy does not address this piece at all. Rather is encouraging it by forcing towns to build thousands of new residences. New studies on aquifers are desperately needed and improved roads with rain gardens. So, no, this is just another of the silly public relations things of his that caused us to move to NC.

Proud of Governor Murphy and my home state. Thank you!

I grew up in NJ, and this does not surprise me in the least. I now live in FL, and the likelihood of that happening here is the same as me being called up as the Knicks new point guard. That's the difference between a red state and a blue state. VOTE.

The move by states institute regulations to limit development in response to climate change and sea level rise is long over due, and it just makes good sense. I hope New Jersey follows through with this committment and that other states follow suit. The federal government needs to let states put in place regulations that are appropriate and forward thinking.

This is the kind of approach that has to be added to considerations whenever we send FEMA money to a particular state. Part of recovering from what is going to be an increase in flood and other damages is to ensure that any recovery doesn't just show a tendency to repeat avoidable mistakes. In 2012, North Carolina decided they'd just ban consideration of sea-level rise, so as not to harm the incomes of developers (who wouldn't face to cost of homeowners wiped out in floods). I believe that is no longer in effect, but that kind of backwardness should bear penalties when we look at the fact that FEMA's probably going to keep getting bigger while we stumble into decarbonizing our global energy supplies. Anyone living along a coast or river might want to read this: https://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/gov-zoning-climate-change-global-warming.html

Today I'm really proud to have voted for Phil Murphy. Now he just needs to hire Andy Byford to fix NJ Transit!

It’s really nice to be proud of the state you live in. Thank you Gov. Murphy.

Uh...it’s written in paragraph 17 or so sea level is rising faster in NJ than elsewhere. Not possible. Subsidence may be moving faster but sea level is sea level. Doesn’t play favorites.

I've lived in the Jersey shore area my whole life. I see a marked difference in the water levels of a pond near my house everyday I drive by it. It's fed by the Metedeconk river a major tributary to the Atlantic ocean. I've noticed that the new water level seems to be 6-8 higher than it was a couple of years ago. At first I thought I just happened to be going past it during a high tide surge but it doesn't matter what time of day I go by. The water is just higher. After super storm Sandy I'm mystified why anyone still wants to live and build at the waters edge but yet people still are. I don't know if it's optimism or just short sightedness. I do know that I'll probably be looking to retire inland, hopefully somewhere in New England. We are just going to have to accept that some places will have less of a future.

To Governor Murphy--bravo, bravo, bravo!!! He has been a strong leader on several fronts including reforming tax giveaways to the politically connected, replacing corroding water infrastructure, and proactive environmental initiatives.

In 2011, the CA state agency that regulates development in and around San Francisco Bay -- the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) -- implemented enforceable regulations that require proposed developments within BCDC's jurisdiction to use best available science to perform a vulnerability analysis to rising sea level based upon CA state-approved science guidance, be resilient to 2050, and have an approved adaptation plan should the development forecast that it be in place post-2050. Those regulations are still in force.

This is amazing! Mr. Murphy is the best governor this state has had in a long time. Glad to see my state is leading in this area.

Right on Governor Murphy, thank you! After so many years of Chris Christie's backwards, Republican head in the sand attitude and "leadership", I truly appreciate this.

Forget political parties and keep in mind the number of NJ citizens who depend on visitors, boat owners, home owners--people who love the shore. The many folks who come here for enjoyment are a large part of the economy. Our family has had a summer/retirement house there for over 50 years---the first and only time a flood reached our house was when Sandy came. Now 4 houses on the water close to us are sitting empty because of the owners' inability to provide repair costs from 2012. And the general public is paying off their loans. Let's be realistic and face up to climate changes, now whose party is involved.

us tax payers, will pay a little less of the loses of others when the sea claims land.

Keep the Jersey Shore beautiful....look at towns like Ocean Grove that have protections and a commitment to preserving the basic beauty and accessibility to many, not just wealthy. I hope these changes get implemented as soon as possible....the over development and obscene sizes and design of new construction have accelerated since the devastation of Sandy in 2012.

I think, there should not be any new construction in flood prone zones in any part of coastal USA. It's more crucial for any tax payer funded projects. In fact, the policy makers need to think many times before they approve tax payers' money to rebuild any community in the same area affected by massive flooding. Many parts of coastal America can not be saved even we keep on investing heavily on localities devastated by man made climate change. The situation is expected to get far worse in coming decades if man made climate change is not taken more seriously. One can chech this report just published in Forbes. "These Are The Cities Most People Will Move To From Sea-Level Rise"- https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2020/01/27/these-are-the-cities-most-people-will-move-to-from-sea-level-rise/#363473db2368

Obviously, The Gov sees NJ housing as too inexpensive. Mandate the heck out of housing to increase cost and the homeless and under-housed will see their chances for affordable housing slip further out to sea. The Left cures another problem.

What's more fiscally sound than to stop developers from building risky projects and letting the state pick up the bill when they're washed away? New Jersey taxpayers should be happy about this.

Very inspiring leadership from New Jersey and hoping that they succeed in this innovative step forward.

Gov. Murphy is not forcing this, the attack on the climate is. If bramnick and fellow vile GOPers, or the businesses that own them, balk at this sensible, Sane EO, then they need to sic their lawyers at themselves and fellow fossil burners. If they keep up with burning coal, oil, and fracked gas for "energy independence", they'll soon find themselves dependent on us to pay for the damage—and we'll be there to say "Yeah, no."

The future of New Jersey's coast is slipping through our fingers like sand. Builders like Jared Kushner come in for one more big payday and head for the hills. Incredibly, there is still a cohort who view global warming as a political issue. They will still be peddling that line as the rest of us mop up and move out.

I live at the shore. I spent summers here as a girl sailing the rivers and playing at the beaches. I love the unique, diverse character of each and every shore town. But yes, development is out of control: flooding and storms more and more common. We are still lifting homes and businesses as a result of Sandy. We need to face the changing reality — as it is has already arrived — and everyone knows it. Sticking our collective heads in the sand is no longer an option, quite literally

Just do what every insurance company does, assessment of risk. Charge accordingly.

Having spent my teenage summers at the Jersey shore and moved away a lifetime ago: thank you. Enjoy the shore like I did. Open.

"“It gives us the ability to say no, or to say, ‘You have to do it differently,’” said Kathleen Frangione, the governor’s chief policy adviser." Or the ability to ask, "What's in it for me?". Hate to be a pessimist, but knowing my State, it will probably just be one more item for the developers to have to pay off for approval.

Having spent a good part of my life paying taxes in New Jersey, I am very pleased to see Governor Murphy taking the lead on this. As for these self-proclaimed representatives of the “business community”, it’s time for you to face reality. If your business consists of building on the shoreline, and you’re expecting a handout from the taxpayers when the water rises, think again.

Thank you Governor Murphy.

Awesome, thank you.

Our brilliant NJ politicians: common sense, environmental destruction, and overcrowding be damned, don't get in the way of (over)development.