The Clean Water, Healthy Families, Good Jobs Campaign Released the Following Statement:

“Clean water is absolutely essential. New Jersey had an opportunity to lead on water infrastructure, but unfortunately, has fallen woefully short in this budget, despite a commitment from Governor Murphy in his budget address this past February. The reality is that New Jersey is in the bottom half of states in allocating American Rescue Plan dollars to clean water, and, after decades of neglect, the need for water infrastructure funding will only continue to grow. This is particularly true as all New Jersey localities are required to remove lead service lines and many struggle with emerging contaminants such as PFAS.

Our polling showed that bold action on protecting water quality is a top priority for New Jersey residents. The diversity of our coalition further illustrates the point. The people and organizations that represent labor, business, the environment, and communities across the state stepped up to advocate for more water infrastructure funding.

Without substantial, additional funding, the cost of water infrastructure upgrades and fixes will fall squarely on New Jersey residents through higher water rates, surcharges, and other costs. For all the talk of making New Jersey more affordable, it seems affordable access to clean water has slipped through the cracks. Our state has missed a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a transformative investment in water infrastructure.

We do, however, want to thank our partners in the State Legislature who boldly advocated for substantial clean water funding, particularly Senator Greenstein, who sponsored a bipartisan budget resolution that included a transformational investment in water infrastructure. Co-sponsors included Senators Singleton, Smith, Gopal, Oroho, Burgess, Diegnan, Johnson, and Zwicker, and Assemblymembers Reynolds-Jackson, Wirths, and Danielsen.

The lesson here is clear–-even on a priority as fundamental and necessary as clean water, vigorous and continued advocacy is needed to ensure that New Jersey residents have access to affordable, clean water. We urge the Governor and State Legislature to leverage available resources to fund needed water infrastructure improvements now and for future generations.”