TRENTON, N.J. – Three bills supporting state funding for open space, clean water and other environmental projects were signed into law on Tuesday, further highlighting the successful conclusion of Assemblyman Alex Sauickie’s first term in office. Other recently signed Sauickie bills include a “national game-changer” for farmland preservation and an expansion of eligibility for farmers to get state grants for fencing to protect their crops from wildlife.
“Like much of the legislation I have championed, these three bills protect vital Garden State resources from overdevelopment. Preserving open space and water quality have been hallmarks of my time in public service, so the governor signing the bills into law was a fitting way to end my first year and a half in the legislature,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said.
One of the bills (A5806) funds state land purchases for recreation or conservation purposes in towns across the state, including several in Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington and Middlesex counties. It also allows the Department of Environmental Protection to redistribute money made available by project cancellations or cost savings to provide additional funding to previously approved state acquisition projects for those purposes. These projects will support more public parks, wildlife habitats, and flood-prone homeowners, among others.
The two other bills (A5809 and A5810) authorize state loans for local environmental infrastructure projects that will support clean water and drinking water projects.
“Projects to ensure New Jersey residents have safe drinking water and our prized bodies of water are clean will be financed with low- or zero-interest loans, safeguarding taxpayers while investing in our natural assets,” Sauickie said. “These laws prioritize not only New Jersey’s environment, but also the health and wellbeing of future generations.”