Clean Water Advocacy Doesn’t Stop for a Pandemic: NJ Statehouse Education Week Goes Virtual
By Rebecca Hilbert, Policy Assistant, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters
With an unpredictable and challenging year at a close, the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed has continued to adapt in order to advance critical protections for the watershed. During a traditional Statehouse Education Day, organizations across New Jersey would typically make their way to Trenton to meet face-to-face with state senators and assembly members. However, due to Covid-19, Coalition member organizations connected with legislators for a highly successful and first-ever virtual New Jersey Statehouse Education Week.
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and other partners spent a week in December meeting with and educating New Jersey legislators on Coalition priorities that protect clean water and healthy communities in the state. These meetings are an opportunity to bring attention to funding and programs that support conservation and clean water in New Jersey.
Moving to a virtual platform did little to stem the enthusiasm and momentum of the event among Coalition members. In fact, this Statehouse Education Week had record-breaking attendance with 23 advocates from 13 organizations that took part in 17 meetings with over 18 legislators. Additionally, Statehouse Education Week helped strengthen the relationships between conservation organizations and laid a foundation to grow relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle.
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and partner organizations discussed five priority issues with state legislators:
The plastic pollution crisis and the importance of supporting a recycled content bill.
Funding the Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees the water of 2.6 million New Jersey residents.
The need to support appointments of qualified individuals to the Highlands Council and Pinelands Commission.
Funding opportunities for New Jersey lakes, which are increasingly suffering from algal blooms.
Funding for state agencies such as Department of Environmental Protection, which would provide staffing, resources, and support the agency’s ability to combat climate change.
The first priority was to educate lawmakers on the importance of establishing an in-state recycling market and about the recycled content bill S2515/A4676. There is practically no recycling market that exists in New Jersey and as we have seen China is no longer accepting recycled materials from the United States. Currently, most plastic products contain little to no recycled content. Modeled after California’s legislation, bill S2515/A4676 would revitalize recycling by mandating recycled content standards and reducing consumption of single-use plastics. This bill would complement New Jersey’s nation-leading comprehensive single-use plastics law, which Governor Murphy signed in December 2020.
Organizations also discussed the importance of full share funding of the Delaware River Basin Commission with legislators. The Delaware River Basin Commission is charged with taking care of water quality and quantity of the Delaware River, but has not received the agreed upon $893,000 from New Jersey for several years. Additionally, the meetings included a discussion about the need to advance the appointments of qualified individuals to the Highlands Council and Pinelands Commission who will support the mission of the agency which are languishing without consideration in the New Jersey State Senate. Once these appointments have been filled, the state must also provide a strong backing for these two authorities that allows them to operate as they should.
A new addition to Statehouse Education Week priorities included the importance of funding for New Jersey lakes. In recent years, New Jersey’s lakes have been seriously challenged by harmful algal blooms and invasive species. The 2021 draft state budget contained $2 million in funding, plus one Department of Environmental Protection staff salary, to address lake management and restoration. This funding was removed from the budget because of the need to address the COVID-19 emergency, though organizations are fighting to make sure that next time the funding sticks.
The final educational priority for legislators was the need for comprehensive funding for state agencies, such as New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Over the past 15 years. the Department of Environmental Protection has lost 1,200 staff members; and enforcement, inspections, and fines have decreased as much as 50% in many programs. Adequate funding for the agency would increase staff and resources to safeguard land and water resources in New Jersey.
Participating organizations included the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, New Jersey LCV, Pineland Preservation Alliance, NJ Highlands Coalition, Lake Hopatcong Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Urban Promise, NJ Environmental Lobby, NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ Audubon, ANJEC, Trout Unlimited, Center for Aquatic Sciences, and Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. Participating legislators included Asm. Armato, Asm. Spearman, Asm. Moen, Asw. Murphy, Asm. Conaway, Asw. Stanfield, Asm. Benson, Asm. Verrelli, Asm. Danielsen, Asm. Zwicker, Asm. Freiman, Asm. Bergen, Asw. Dunn , Asm. DiMaio, Sen. Bateman, Sen. Oroho, Sen. Bucco, Sen. Cruz-Perez, and Sen. Singleton.
The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed and New Jersey League of Conservation Voters are grateful to the legislators and organizations who participated in New Jersey Statehouse Education Week. While the virtual format was an adjustment, it was a safe way to bring people together throughout the week. Hopefully, next year, organizations and legislators will be able to gather in-person in Trenton to discuss clean water priorities for the state.