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time to reflect on what's working well and should be continued, how your commission can be SUSTAINABLY PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER more effective and whether you need to recruit new commission members for appointment in the coming year. Setting goals for 2025 As you contemplate new projects you'd like to tackle in the New Year, first take continued, on next page ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 23

stock of 2024 objectives that still need to be accomplished. Where does your town stand on required compliance with the new Inland Flood Hazard Rules and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) permits? While you’re discussing stormwater issues and shrinking resources with local officials anyway, why not advocate for adoption of a stormwater utility in your town? It provides a funding stream that places a proportionate responsibility for stormwater management costs on those who generate the most runoff. Also think about potential new ordinances that could benefit your community and how to grease the skids among officials and residents through communication efforts. Examples include ordinances to protect trees, restrict use of gaspowered leaf blowers, outlaw invasive species and encourage green building. Is your town ready to tackle food waste composting? Are there preserved open spaces or trails that need attention, or newly available properties that could be acquired as open space, especially in environmentally overburdened, underserved communities? Now is the time to plan for such projects. Follow the money Think about what support and resources you'll need to accomplish 2025 goals. If your town operates on a calendar-year basis (rather than a fiscal year), municipal officials will be putting the annual budget together in the fall, so you'll need to submit your EC budget. In addition to any projects your commission will need funding for, be sure your budget includes ANJEC membership dues and fees for your members to attend the annual ANJEC Environmental Congress. And start looking for grants to support your plans, including ANJEC's Open Space Stewardship grants (see page 25). Prepare your annual report Autumn is also a good time to start writing your annual report highlighting all 24 ANJEC REPORT – Autumn Autumn 2024 2024 your accomplishments for 2024. Because your audience for this report is municipal officials as well as the community at large, emphasize how your efforts helped the town conserve resources, protect public health and improve quality of life. Also consider how you'll publicize your annual report. Besides presenting it at a Council meeting, many ECs post it on the municipal website and social media. Be sure to also share it with local news media. The Morris Township Environmental Commission's 2023 Annual Report is a good example of a

ng, many ECs post it on the municipal website and social media. Be sure to also share it with local news media. The Morris Township Environmental Commission's 2023 Annual Report is a good example of a well-organized document with charts that put their efforts in context and colorful pictures that add liveliness. It's posted on the town website at https://tinyurl.com/m5edb5tw. The Princeton EC's 2023 Annual Report is organized around the Commission's goals. It not only memorializes the EC's recommendations on development proposals but also discloses member attendance at EC meetings. In addition, the Report lists goals for the upcoming year. https:// tinyurl.com/2r7dehts The Kingwood Township EC's Annual Report is formatted like a newsletter and emphasizes how the EC collaborated with other municipal departments and organizations to accomplish its goals. It also provides information and resources for residents on important rural issues like well testing and septic system pumping. https://tinyurl.com/4f2sshfj ANJEC can help To make autumn the climax of a great year and the beginning of a promising 2025, contact the ANJEC Resource Center at info@anjec.org for information and toolkits to help you get a head start n the New Year!

ANJEC awards 2024 open space grants By Elizabeth Ritter, ANJEC Deputy Director We are pleased to announce the winners of the ANJEC Open Space Stewardship Grant program, now in its eleventh year. One-year grants were awarded to 16 New Jersey municipal Environmental Commissions (ECs) for the 2024 grant cycle. Spotlight on ECs The primary objective of the grant program is to increase community awareness and appreciation of local open space, ultimately increasing public support and funding for open space stewardship. Another objective is to highlight the ECs who accomplish untold amounts of important work in their towns, but often operate under the radar. ANJEC's Open Space Stewardship 2024 Grant Program is underwritten by the Candace McKee Ashmun Grant Fund, established in 2020 with funds raised in memory of ANJEC’s first executive director and from generous donors like you. The winning projects for 2024 were varied, including: trail maintenance, pollinator gardens, invasive species education and removal, educational signage, rain gardens and a new innovative sports tournament to Francesca Mundrick, Pitman Environmental Commission, pictured with Joseph Postorino and Ken Goldstein from the LSRPAF in front of the Hitting 4 Habitat project funded through the 2024 grant round Credit ANJEC benefit habitat! The following communities were selected for 2024 grants: Chatham Township, Closter, East Greenwich, Emerson, Hackensack, Haworth, Jersey City, Lambertville, Lawrence Twp., Long Branch City, Madison, Norwood, Pennington Borough, Raritan Twp., Pitman, and Somerville. Watch for more information about these projects on our social media platforms in the months to come! continued on next page Veolia representative Sonja Clark pictured with representatives from Hackensack, Haworth, Closter, Emerson, and Norwood Environmental Commissions at Haworth Water Treatment Plant Credit Veolia SUSTAINABLY PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 25

ANJEC's 2024 grant program was supported by Veolia Water Services and the NJ Licensed Site Remediation Professional Foundation. We are excited about these partnerships that allow us to expand funding to more municipalities as they continue their work to protect local natural resources. No cash match is required for the grants. Projects require an in-kind labor contribution from the commission or other volunteers totaling at least 80 hours. Projects often bring in many times that amount in support from community groups and individuals, who help with physical labor or donate professional skills. The funded projects are often part of larger initiatives that may include funding from additional sources. ANJEC remains committed to these worthwhile projects and all the enthusiasm and community goodwill they generate. Using the ERI to improve land use decisions By Ed DiFiglia and Jennifer Feltis Cortese* O ne of the most important roles that Environmental Commissions (ECs) play in their municipalities is the review of site plan applications under consideration by local land use boards. This core function provides an important opportunity for protecting the environmental resources within a town. Parts of this review may examine similar issues in every town: • Are stormwater best practices being used? • Does the application comply with local impervious cover limits? • Is the site accessible to multiple forms of transportation besides cars? • Is the proposed development solarready? But those questions, while important, only scratch the surface. To take your site plan review to the next level, it's time to turn to your Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI). 26 ANJEC REPORT – Autumn Autumn 2024 2024 What is an ERI? The ERI, sometimes referred to as a Natural Resource Inventory (NRI), is a document that details a municipality's natural resources, including locations of water bodies, steep slopes, wildlife habitats and other critical environmental information. It's this type of information that can lead to a new level of inquiry for the EC's review of development applications. Here are a few examples: • Using the ERI's maps and data as a baseline, an EC can ask about the impact of a development on a specific wildlife habitat that will be impacted and suggest mitigation techniques. • The EC can ask about the impact of a development on steep slopes that might be near

he impact of a development on a specific wildlife habitat that will be impacted and suggest mitigation techniques. • The EC can ask about the impact of a development on steep slopes that might be near the area of disturbance in an application and ask for stronger erosion controls to be included in the plan. • An ERI can help the EC determine if a site is encroaching on a groundwater recharge area and can suggest adjusting the layout to minimize impact.

There are several steps your EC can take to start incorporating your ERI into your site plan review process. Of course, your municipality first needs to have an adopted ERI. If you do not already have one, you can contact ANJEC and get resources and information on how to create one for your municipality. After the ERI has been adopted, the team who reviews site plans should create a template for the process that includes sections addressing each of the resources identified in the ERI: soil, steep slopes, wetlands, streams, wildlife habitats, recharge areas, etc. Then, when an application comes in for review, this template will allow the review team to make sure that each of the natural resources identified in the ERI has been addressed in the site plan and make suggestions to ensure that those resources are protected. You can find a sample EC site plan review checklist in ANJEC's "Site Plan/ Subdivision Review" resource paper at https://tinyurl.com/yc67vjmh . The ERI as a go-to reference Your EC can establish joint meetings or special meetings to regularly review various sections of the ERI so that those responsible for land use decisions are familiar with the town's unique environmental characteristics and can more efficiently consult the ERI when conducting reviews of site plan applications. While these professionals will routinely look for compliance by the applicant with all regulations from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and local ordinances, they might not be aware of the location of certain endangered species habitats or recharge areas. By working with these professionals, you can ensure that the resources identified in the ERI are included in their reviews as well. Ultimately the goal is to set expectations for the protection of critical environmental resources so that applicants themselves review the ERI and incorporate mitigation efforts into their land use applications from the start. More information For in-depth information about the ERI and site plan review, be sure to attend ANJEC's annual course, Fundamentals for Effective Environmental Commissions, offered each spring. Watch our website (anjec.org) for details to come. An ANJEC resource paper, "The Environmental Resource Inventory," is also available at https://anjec.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/ 07/ERI-2013.pdf. *Ed DiFiglia is the Township of Ocean Environmental

e. An ANJEC resource paper, "The Environmental Resource Inventory," is also available at https://anjec.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/ 07/ERI-2013.pdf. *Ed DiFiglia is the Township of Ocean Environmental Commission Chair and Planning Board Vice Chair. Jennifer Feltis Cortese works in the Director's Office for the Division of Water Quality at the DEP. Both are ANJEC trustees. Reviewing site plans is part of the curriculum at ANJEC’s Fundamentals for Effective Environmental Commissions course each spring. Credit ANJEC SUSTAINABLY PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 27

Fortifying the future: NJ’s Priority Action Plan tackles climate change C By Sheila Baker Gujral, ANJEC Resource Center Director limate change is coming down the (turn)pike in New Jersey and local governments need to be prepared. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection has received a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant to explore how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and which actions should be prioritized. The result, the New Jersey Priority Climate Action Plan was released in March and is the first of three deliverables resulting from the four-year grant. The Plan was created to guide and prioritize future federal investments in the State’s pollution reduction efforts. It lists priorities in several sectors – transportation, buildings, electric generation, food waste, natural and working lands and halogenated gases. For each section, it lists the top priority measures along with guidance on which local government actions will support those goals. This is kind of a dream document for environmental commissions, answering key questions: What's the problem? What should we tackle first? How do we do it? How do we fund it? The role of local governments includes: • developing local climate action plans; • implementing projects; • connecting with stakeholders to foster collaboration; • ensuring equity and accessibility; and • engaging and coordinating with the private sector. Here is a sampling of the many goals and measures outlined in the plan. The transportation sector Responsible for 38 percent of net statewide GHG emissions, this sector's number one priority is to "achieve 30 28 ANJEC REPORT – Autumn 2024 percent of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050.” The local government action to pursue this goal is to “replace diesel medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and school buses with electric vehicles (EVs).” For the sector's second priority, to “achieve light-duty vehicle electrification goals in NJ's Electric Vehicle Law,” there are three local government actions to take: 1) electrify local government fleets; 2) create and expand eMobility programs that provide electric ride sharing and ride hailing services1; and 3) install and expand publicly available EV charging infrastructure. Another goal is to “reduce vehicle miles traveled,” by 1) expanding transportation infrastructure and complete

iling services1; and 3) install and expand publicly available EV charging infrastructure. Another goal is to “reduce vehicle miles traveled,” by 1) expanding transportation infrastructure and complete streets; 2) promoting and increasing NJ Transit ridership and becoming a “Transit Village;” and 3) expanding work-from-home and ridesharing programs. The building sector Responsible for 23 percent of NJ's total GHG emissions, the building sector has as priority measure number five: “install zerocarbon emission space-heating and -cooling and water-heating systems in 400,000 residential properties and in 20,000 commercial properties.” There are three actions that local governments can take: 1) pilot building decarbonization efforts at local government facilities; 2) pilot beneficial use of wastewater for building electrification at 1 Such as the Go Trenton! all-electric shuttles and van service – www.gotrenton.org/