In a concession to coastal mayors and developers, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration is making major changes to the sprawling rule package it proposed a year ago to protect New Jersey communities from sea-level rise.
The Department of Environmental Protection on Monday said it is overhauling those rules before they take effect. Now, instead of preparing the state’s 130 miles of coastline for 5 feet of sea-level rise, the rules will only require developers to plan for 4 feet.
The changes come in part because local officials and the Murphy administration seem willing to gamble that the worst climate change projections won’t come to pass.
“We are hearing from our coastal communities that they are comfortable with a higher level of risk,” DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette told reporters in a Monday morning virtual briefing.
