Clean Water Action Statement on Signing of Stormwater Utility Bill

Applauds Passage of Legislation; Urges Swift Action to Reverse Christie’s Water Rule Rollbacks

Trenton, NJ – Clean Water Action’s State Director, Amy Goldsmith, released the following statement in regards to Governor Murphy’s signing of the stormwater utility bill (S.1073) today:

“Clean Water Action is pleased to see that Governor Murphy signed the stormwater utility bill (S.1073) which enables municipalities and counties to create mechanisms to address non-point source pollution more effectively, helping reduce flooding and pollution in the Garden State.

If New Jersey is going to provide maximum protection to our water resources through the state, then the Murphy administration needs to take swift action to reverse the full suite of Christie’s water rule rollbacks including flood hazard and wetlands rules, enforce existing Category 1 (C1) safeguards per the federal Clean Water Act, as well as adopt the recently proposed C1 designations.

By re-assembling a toolbox of strong water rules, the Governor would have the power to better ensure that our state’s drinking water is safer and more affordable. Taking action now will also provide more tools to “just say no” to any of the 12 proposed fossil fuel projects. Pipelines (7 proposed) or power plants (5 proposed) all consume vast amounts of freshwater, pollute the air and water, and cause health harms to workers and communities along the way.”

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Clean Water Action has more than 150,000 members statewide in New Jersey and is the nation’s largest grassroots group focused on water, energy and environmental health. Since our founding during the campaign to pass the landmark Clean Water Act in 1972, Clean Water Action has worked to win strong health and environmental protections by bringing issue expertise, solution-oriented thinking and people power to the table. We will protect clean water in the face of attacks from a polluter friendly Administration and Congress. www.cleanwater.org/nj