For Immediate Release
January 11, 2021

Blue Acres Bill Passes Senate and Assembly – Goes to Gov’s Desk

Today, the Senate and Assembly passed S3230 (Greenstein)/A5115 (Moriarty). The bill appropriates $30.387 million from constitutionally dedicated corporate business tax (CBT) revenues to DEP for State acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes, including Blue Acres projects. It was passed in the Senate with a vote of 34-0 and in the Assembly with a vote of 75-0-0.

“Blue Acres is an important program to help get people out of harm’s way and mitigate flooding. It helps acquire flood-prone properties, remove structures, and restore floodplains to their natural state. This bill dedicates over $30 million for Blues Acres, which is a downpayment to help people who have been impacted by flooding. We fought to get this included and upgraded in the legislation. This is the largest amount of CBT funds to go toward Blue Acres in a long time, which is important given sea-level rise,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Governor Murphy needs to sign this legislation quickly. This funding is important, but it is only a drop in the bucket. We need to do more in order to make New Jersey more resilient.”

The Blue Acres program is one of the most successful state programs. The program allows buy outs of flood prone properties and helps to get people out of harm’s way. Blue Acres is important in acquiring properties, removing structures, and restoring floodplains to their natural state. Without it, we will see more flooding throughout the state.

“Governor Murphy needs to sign this legislation quickly because it will help expand Blue Acres and purchase many more homes to keep people safe. If we keep people in homes that get flooded regularly, it will create a disaster for New Jersey residents. We also spend a lot of money repairing homes and bringing in infrastructure to flood-prone areas instead of just buying them out. The best way to protect people from harm is buying them out and protecting them from future storms,” said Jeff Tittel. “Buying out flood-prone homes is also important because it means the state can restore wetlands and floodplains. This increases the amount of floodwater that is absorbed, which means less flooding for nearby properties.”

According to a recent report, New Jersey is listed in the top-ten fastest-warming states in the country, with warming trends strongest along the coast. A DEP report found that sea level in New Jersey could rise from 2000 levels by up to 2.6 feet by 2050 and up to 8.8 feet by 2100. The report also shows that New Jersey has already been disproportionately affected by climate change – sea level rise projections in New Jersey are more than two times the global average.

“We need to expand Blue Acres and purchase many more homes to keep people safe. We also need to stop developing in risk zones.. A recent Zillow report shows that we are top three in the nation for developing homes in flood-prone areas. DEP released a report projecting sea levels rising by 2.6 feet or more by 2050, and anywhere from 5.0 to 8.8 feet by 2100. This is alarming because our barrier islands are only 3 feet above sea levels. All the reports are pointing to extreme climate impacts, but we are still building in vulnerable areas,” said Jeff Tittel. “Given sea level rise and climate change, we need to move forward quickly with buying out properties and making sure our communities are safe from storm surges.”

The Blue Acres program is important because federal money was only used for buy-outs in a few communities that were impacted by Sandy like South River and Sayreville. Using the state program has allowed New Jersey to help other communities along the coast or inland like Wayne, Rockaway, Manville, Oakland, and others.

“Given all the storms we have had, it is important to give communities that want to be bought out and hit with storm after storm an option. This legislation will allocate over $30 million for Blue Acres, which will help buy-out flood-prone areas across the state. State funding is also matched by federal money, so this means we can take full advantage of available federal money. Funding Blue Acres will help New Jersey become more resilient. We also need to expand Blue Acres and purchase many more homes, and instate a ‘three strikes your out’ policy for people who refuse buyouts. Buying out these areas restores floodplains and protects other neighborhoods,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Blue Acres program is important for removing residents from harm’s way. This funding is an important step toward expanding and improving our Blue Acres program.”