The New Jersey Builders Association and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association are challenging a controversial set of land use rules that former Gov. Phil Murphy finalized on his last day in office.
Attorneys for NJBA and NJBIA filed a notice of appeal Friday with the state’s Superior Court Appellate Division, in which they allege the Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Environment and Landscape Rules burden towns, residents and developers with added costs and unnecessary regulations. The Murphy-era rules, known as REAL, set stricter coastal construction regulations to account for climate change.
REAL included dozens of regulatory changes, including raised elevation requirements, expanded flood maps, new wetland protection and stormwater management rules, and limits on construction in flood-prone areas.
Advocates say the rules would better prepare New Jersey for the worsening effects of climate change, but NJBA President and CEO Jeff Kolakowski argues the changes “do little to nothing” to improve the state’s resiliency.
