By delaying a landmark climate change rule meant to protect new development along the Jersey Shore, Gov. Mikie Sherrill has spawned months if not years of fights over coastal development.
She appears to be betting that she will come up with a compromise on something that bedeviled her predecessor, fellow Democrat Phil Murphy, for the better part of his time in office.
The Murphy administration spent years crafting a rule package to increase regulations to cope with more extreme flooding. The inland rule prompted a feud inside his administration. The coastal rule also took years to complete and he didn’t finalize them until his last day in office.
Now, Sherrill is sending herself and lobbyists on both sides of the issue back to the drawing board.
