This bill designates the week containing Earth Day (April 22) each year as "Litter Law Enforcement Week" in New Jersey. During this week, the Department of Environmental Protection and State Police must prioritize enforcing state littering laws (including specific statutes on illegal dumping and littering in public spaces), while encouraging local law enforcement to join the effort. Fines collected from littering violations during this period must be split equally into three state funds: the Clean Communities Program Fund (for public litter removal), the Coastal Protection Trust Fund (for beach cleanups), and the Municipal Stormwater Fund (for litter control at stormwater sites). Municipalities and counties can also choose to donate their collected fines to these funds.
This bill exempts plastic materials processed at designated "advanced plastic processing facilities" from New Jersey's solid waste disposal and recycling laws. These facilities must transform plastic into non-fuel products (like chemicals or monomers) using methods such as pyrolysis, not into fuel. The exemption excludes PETE (code 1) and HDPE (code 2) plastics. Processors using these facilities avoid state recycling/disposal rules but remain subject to air/water pollution and land-use laws.
This bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to create rules allowing wastewater utilities to charge customers a specific "wastewater system improvement charge." The charge would cover costs for rehabilitating, improving, or replacing aging wastewater infrastructure, such as pipes and treatment facilities. It directly affects wastewater utilities (like municipal sewer systems) and their customers who pay for wastewater services. The rules would mirror existing regulations already in place for water utilities (N.J.A.C.14:9-10.1 et seq.), enabling similar cost recovery for wastewater infrastructure needs. The goal is to accelerate repairs to deteriorating systems by providing a clear funding mechanism.
S 1213 establishes the New Jersey Water Data Center at a public university to collect, analyze, and publish standardized data on drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems across the state. The center must provide specific, publicly accessible information annually, including lead levels in water, leak-related water loss, system budgets, affordability metrics, and combined sewer overflow events. It requires an advisory council with representatives from environmental and utility agencies and mandates the Governor to select the host institution within 30 days. The bill appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to fund the center's initial operations. This directly affects water utilities, state regulators, and residents by creating transparent, statewide data for accountability and informed decision-making.
S 749 is a procedural bill that would have amended the list of environmental infrastructure projects approved for long-term funding under New Jersey's FY2026 environmental infrastructure program. It detailed how funds from multiple state revolving funds (like the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund) would be allocated to support clean water and drinking water projects, aligning with federal requirements under the Clean Water Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill was withdrawn on January 13, 2026, because it was superseded by an already-enacted bill (P.L.2025, c.182), meaning it did not become law. It directly affected the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) by modifying funding mechanisms for environmental infrastructure projects.
This bill (S 1200) would have required public water suppliers to immediately notify municipalities, school districts, charter schools, nonpublic schools, and colleges when drinking water violations occur that trigger federal Tier 2 Public Notices. The notification would detail specific contaminants, test results, locations, and suggested remedies. The bill was introduced in January 2026 but was withdrawn the same day because it was already enacted as part of P.L.2025, c.341. It does not currently require action, as the requirement is already in effect through prior legislation.
This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to set a legal limit of 10 parts per billion for hexavalent chromium (a toxic form of chromium) in drinking water. It affects all public water systems, with deadlines based on system size: larger systems (10,000+ connections) must comply within 2 years, medium systems (1,000-9,999 connections) within 3 years, and smaller systems (under 1,000 connections) within 4 years after the law takes effect. The bill does not change existing limits for total chromium but specifically restricts hexavalent chromium to the new 10 ppb standard. The DEP may later adopt stricter limits if recommended by the Drinking Water Quality Institute.
This bill establishes the "Forest Stewardship Incentive Fund" using money from the "Global Warming Solutions Fund" to cover costs for forest stewardship planning. It provides grants to cover the **total cost** of developing and implementing forest stewardship plans for **local government-owned forest land**. For private owners and nonprofits, it offers up to $1,500 base coverage, with an additional 80% of costs exceeding $1,500 (capped at $2,500 total). The fund directly supports local governments, nonprofits, and private forest landowners in creating plans to manage and steward forest resources.
This bill prohibits the sale, distribution, and use of urea specifically for melting or preventing ice/snow on outdoor surfaces (e.g., sidewalks, driveways). It defines "urea" as fertilizer-based products used for de-icing but explicitly allows urea’s continued use in other applications like agriculture. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for repeat offenses, enforceable by the Department of Environmental Protection or local agencies. The bill does not restrict urea’s use in any other contexts, such as fertilizer, and excludes rock salt from its provisions.
This bill directs New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to create two grant programs using federal infrastructure funds. It specifically targets small public water systems (under 500 service connections) to fund operational improvements like leak detection, asset mapping, and infrastructure upgrades, and to establish data-sharing systems for water quality and cybersecurity information. Grant recipients must use funds for concrete projects such as developing asset inventories, deploying leak detection technology, or building data hubs for sharing water system data. The DCA must publish application rules within six months and submit annual reports detailing all funded projects to the Governor and Legislature within three years.
