Environment (Water Quality)

This bill requires the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to speed up and simplify approval processes for affordable housing projects. It mandates specific deadlines for reviewing applications, such as a 180-day limit for water quality plans that triggers automatic approval if missed, and requires certain reviews to happen simultaneously rather than sequentially. The legislation also establishes presumptions that sites designated for affordable housing comply with water quality rules and ensures that previously approved permits remain valid even if new regulations are later adopted.

This bill prohibits New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from requiring certain municipalities to adopt rules controlling tree removal and replacement. It specifically applies to Tier A municipalities under the state's stormwater program - those meeting criteria like being in urban areas with high population density, specific stormwater systems, or designated discharge points. The law stops the DEP from enforcing this requirement, which was recently added to the stormwater permit program in 2023. The change affects only Tier A municipalities, not all local governments.

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.