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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.