Welcome to the first edition of DEP Focus, the Department’s new quarterly electronic newsletter. In today’s fast-paced times, the speed and economy of a web-based newsletter is an efficient and effective tool to reach New Jersey’s citizenry about priority environmental issues. The e-newsletter will feature programs, policies and other news from the broad swath of activity within the Department. I hope you find it informative and valuable.

Global Warming
In this first issue, I want to highlight an issue of great concern not only to residents of the Garden State but also to citizens around the globe. Last year, global warming was in the forefront of the news with the release of the Union of Concerned Scientists Report on Climate Change in the Northeast and Live Earth Concerts for a Climate in Crisis. In light of the lack of federal action and indicative of the importance of this urgent issue to New Jersey, Governor Corzine signed into law the Global Warming Response Act, strengthening his commitment to this priority issue for the state. New Jersey is now the third state in the nation to mandate Greenhouse Gas reductions by law and the first to codify long-term reductions. The goals in the Act are the most ambitious in the country requiring a reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (20% reduction) and further reductions of emissions to 80% below 2006 levels by the year 2050.

Much of the work needed to implement these requirements will be done by DEP together with the Board of Public Utilities. We have already made significant progress in evaluating polices and measures to achieve these goals and build on the reductions we anticipate from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Long-term success, however, will require the cooperation of every business and individual in the state. Find out more about what New Jersey is doing in our newsletter article “Global Warming in the Garden State.”

Clean Water
As we work to protect the state from the ravages of climate change, we must also work to protect our water resources, which are vital to our health and economy. One recent Clean Water Initiative is the Category One (C1) designation of over 900 river miles, granting these streams the state’s highest level of water quality protection. Category One designation limits development impact and pollution to these high water quality streams, rivers and lakes, which support critical wildlife and provide drinking water for New Jersey residents.

Governor Corzine’s emphasis on protecting New Jersey’s waters reflects the importance of clean water to our state. New Jersey is a coastal state and tourism at our ocean beaches is a large part of our economy. When we protect our water quality, we protect the tourism industry that depends on clean beaches. New Jersey is also a peninsula state – we are surrounded by water and flooding can be a large problem, especially in recent years with a series of dramatic flooding events across the state. Insuring an adequate water supply of clean and plentiful water is vital to our quality of life.

Other water related initiatives include the recently adopted Stormwater Management Rules, which emphasize low impact building techniques such as minimizing land disturbance and impervious cover, and provide infiltration basins and buffer zones to protect water quality. The new Flood Area Hazard Control Rules will limit new development in flood plains and increase buffer zones around them. The recently proposed Water Quality Management Planning Rules consider the impacts of septic systems on groundwater and remove environmentally sensitive lands from sewer service areas.

The Department is also revising the state’s Water Supply Master Plan to provide a blueprint for managing the state’s water resources over the next 50 years and ensure sufficient water supply in all parts of the state.

DEP’s Leadership Role
The NJDEP has always been a leader in environmental protection. These new priorities will help the Department maintain its leadership role and improve service to its residents. It will also help us to maintain and improve the quality of life by for residents providing them with the healthiest environment possible in which to raise their families and opportunities to enjoy the diverse natural bounty of our state.