Seven NJ Municipalities Selected to Receive Help with Climate Readiness Planning

No-cost technical assistance will guide towns as they complete a Climate Vulnerability Assessment 

Sustainable Jersey today announced the seven municipalities selected to receive no-cost technical assistance to complete or update a Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment. This critical assessment, mandated by the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law, must be included in the Land Use Plan Element of all municipal Master Plans. Made possible through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient NJ Program, with funding from the American Rescue Plan, this technical assistance will help communities strengthen their resilience to climate-related hazards and plan for a more sustainable future.

The seven municipalities selected through an application process designed to distribute the awards to differing types of municipalities across the state are:

• Atlantic County: Egg Harbor City

• Burlington County: Bordentown City and Evesham Township

• Hunterdon County: Holland Township

• Middlesex County: Metuchen Borough

• Monmouth County: Freehold Borough

• Passaic County: City of Paterson

“Having expert assistance to develop a climate vulnerability assessment is instrumental in helping communities identify climate hazards and create a plan to strengthen their community resilience,” said New Jersey’s Chief Resilience Officer Nick Angarone. “Conducting a comprehensive Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment provides the necessary baseline information and builds capacity for equitable and effective climate change adaptation at the local level.”

“Faced with the detrimental impacts of climate hazards such as intensifying flooding and heat, municipal leaders need guidance on how to assess and address the effects on public health, infrastructure, and businesses,” said Sustainable Jersey Director Randall Solomon. “We’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with these municipalities to help advance their local climate change adaptation and resilience.”

The technical assistance to conduct the climate vulnerability assessment will apply the methodology outlined in the Guide to Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning: The Model Climate Change-Related Hazard Vulnerability Assessment for New Jersey Municipalities. “Understanding current and future risks and engaging in an inclusive and systematic planning process is one of the single best investments a municipality can make to adapt to our changing climate,” said Tanya Rohrbach, Sustainable Jersey’s Program Manager for Policy and Planning.

New! Sustainable Jersey’s Gold Star in Climate Readiness

Today’s announcement of the technical assistance recipients coincides with the release of Sustainable Jersey’s Gold Star in Climate Readiness, made possible by support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In addition to attaining Sustainable Jersey certification at the silver and bronze levels, municipalities can add a gold star for individual dimensions of sustainability including Energy, Health, Water and Climate Readiness. The Gold Star in Climate Readiness gives municipalities the freedom to choose impactful actions while embracing a bold, systems-wide approach to tackling climate change head-on.