New Jersey Will Be First State to Require Building Permits to Consider the Climate Crisis

[Elderberry]

Ecowatch by Olivia Rosane Jan. 28, 2020

New Jersey will be the first state in the U.S. to require builders to take the climate crisis into consideration before seeking permission for a project.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced the new regulations Monday as part of the final version of the state's master energy plan, which commits New Jersey to achieving 50 percent clean energy by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050, according to NJ Advance Media. But while The New York Times pointed out that other states have adopted a 2050 100 percent renewable energy goal, New Jersey will be the first to require that projects seeking Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permits consider both how their projects' emissions will contribute to global warming and how climate change will impact their building plans.

"This is a big deal," director of the water and climate team at the Natural Resources Defense Council Rob Moore told The New York Times. "For New Jersey to step to the forefront and say, 'We're going to look at future climate impacts, and that it's going to be a driver of our decision-making' — that's exactly what all 50 states need to be doing."

More: https://www.ecowatch.com/new-jersey-climate-crisis-building-permits-2644940252.html

[Gefn]

Thanks @Elderberry

I didn’t know this. I know Murphy just signed a bunch of new laws, but didn’t know about this one.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Good for them.  The citizens certainly have the right to determine how they should live.

Making it expensive to do business or live in the state will cause more to leave to friendlier environs, following the example of California.

Not a particularly great example to follow, though.