This bill allows dual-use solar facilities, such as those on landfills or brownfields, to join New Jersey's community solar program, enabling customers to receive bill credits from remotely located solar projects. It requires the Board of Public Utilities to establish rules for a pilot program that sets project size limits, geographic restrictions, minimum participant numbers, and standards for protecting low and moderate income customers. The legislation also mandates that utilities can recover implementation costs and outlines a path to convert the pilot into a permanent program with specific capacity goals by 2029.
This bill establishes a pilot program allowing solar energy projects on state and local government-owned roadside rights-of-way (land adjacent to roads, 30-100 feet from the road centerline) in New Jersey. Projects must not exceed 10 megawatts individually, with a total program cap of 200 megawatts, and must avoid disrupting traffic, safety, or road maintenance. The Board of Public Utilities, with input from the Transportation Commissioner, will review applications based on criteria like safety monitoring, environmental impact, and project size, requiring permits before construction. The pilot runs for 36 months, with possible two 12-month extensions (max 50 megawatts increase per extension) to evaluate outcomes.
This bill establishes the New Jersey Native Seed Commission within the Department of Agriculture to develop a plan increasing native seed production and use. The commission, made up of state agency heads and stakeholders (including seed suppliers, land managers, and conservation groups), will focus on boosting native seed availability for public projects like roadside landscaping, habitat restoration, and state land management. It must submit a final report with specific recommendations within one year of forming, aiming to make native seeds commercially available at reasonable prices. The commission expires 30 days after submitting its report.
This bill would create a standardized "pollinator-friendly" label for plants sold in New Jersey, requiring the Environmental Protection Commissioner (with Agriculture Secretary) to establish specific standards. These standards must prohibit or limit pesticides harmful to pollinators and define "pollinator-friendly" plants as native, non-invasive species. Retailers and distributors could only use the label on plants meeting these standards, which cover bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. The bill does not ban pesticides but sets requirements for labeling to help consumers identify pollinator-safe plants. (Note: The bill is currently pending in committee and has not yet been enacted.)
This bill formally approves the Fiscal Year 2027 financial plan for the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank. The resolution authorizes the bank to proceed with funding loans and debt guarantees for eligible environmental projects, including clean water, drinking water, and stormwater management initiatives. By passing this measure, the Legislature ratifies the bank's budgetary strategy for the upcoming fiscal year as required by state law. The document does not alter the bank's operations but rather provides the necessary legislative consent for its planned financial activities.
This bill establishes a five-year pilot program for New Jersey's Department of Transportation to inventory, assess, and monitor all state, county, and municipal bridges. It requires creating a digital bridge inventory, a risk scoring model for bridge safety, climate vulnerability assessments, and a public dashboard showing bridge conditions. The $9.5 million appropriation funds the program ($4.5M) and a separate AI-driven "Bridge Infrastructure Innovation Module" ($5M) to test sensor-based monitoring on high-risk bridges. The program mandates annual progress reports and a final evaluation after five years to determine if the approach should be expanded statewide to other infrastructure like roads and tunnels.
This bill requires New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to issue special windshield stickers for qualifying electric vehicles. Owners of eligible EVs would display these stickers to prove exemption from annual emission inspections. The bill defines "electric vehicle" as one powered solely by electricity without hydrocarbon fuel (excluding plug-in hybrids). It directly affects EV owners by eliminating a required inspection for their vehicles under the new sticker system.
S 1370 requires that all new flooring installed in schools (K-12 public or private) and licensed child care centers must be certified by the manufacturer as mercury-free before a construction permit can be issued. This applies to any new construction, repair, or upgrade of flooring in these facilities. Manufacturers falsely claiming mercury-free flooring face civil penalties of $10,000 for a first offense and $25,000 for repeat violations. The bill takes effect 90 days after enactment.
This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to prioritize funding for two types of projects: (1) land acquisition for recreation and conservation, and (2) environmental infrastructure projects that include or enable flood mitigation. It directly affects local governments, nonprofits, and communities seeking DEP grants under the Green Acres program, which uses constitutionally dedicated funds. Key provisions mandate that DEP establish criteria prioritizing projects that protect floodplains, reduce flood risk, conserve natural resources, and support recreational access. The bill amends existing laws to ensure these factors are explicitly considered when ranking eligible projects for funding.
This bill exempts community gardens using on-site composting systems from certain environmental permits required under New Jersey's Solid Waste Management Act, Recycling Act, Air Pollution Control Act, and Water Pollution Control Act. It applies to gardens that accept no more than 200 gallons of source-separated food waste weekly (with larger properties allowed 200 gallons per 5,000 square feet) and use all generated compost exclusively on-site or distribute it per DEP rules for Class C recyclables. The exemption covers permits related to waste management, air, and water pollution, directly benefiting community gardens by reducing regulatory burden for small-scale composting.
