Assembly Republican News
TRENTON, N.J. – Soil conservation districts would be allowed to have more than five supervisors under a bill passed by the General Assembly on Thursday.
The bill (A5545), sponsored by Assemblymen Donald Guardian (R-Atlantic) and Antwan McClellan (R-Cape May), aims to improve environmental protection and streamline development by enabling greater regional collaboration among local soil conservation districts.
“Mother Nature doesn’t recognize county lines, and the local conservation districts working to protect her shouldn’t be limited by them either,” said Guardian. “This will allow districts that share watersheds, coastal waters, aquifers, transportation corridors, and state regulatory boundaries to partner together for the implementation of smart, coordinated conservation practices.”
New Jersey has 14 soil conservation districts—semi-autonomous bodies responsible for enforcing the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Act, passed in 1975 in response to rising levels of soil erosion, flooding, and topsoil loss caused by rapid suburban and urban development.
A key requirement of the act is that builders and developers must obtain soil erosion control permits as part of the overall development process. Currently, each district is made up of five volunteer supervisors, appointed by the State Soil Conservation Committee under the Department of Agriculture, serving three-year terms. The districts are funded by a combination of local and state dollars, service fees, and grants.
The legislation would remove the cap on the number of supervisors per district and allow for consolidation or cooperation among districts, particularly those with shared environmental concerns.
“Rain doesn’t ask for permission to cross from Cape May into Atlantic, and neither do the environmental challenges that follow,” said McClellan. “This bill allows districts to merge while keeping dedicated volunteers in place. It also opens the door for them to access new federal conservation grants and operate more efficiently across the region.”
By aligning efforts regionally, the bill seeks to improve conservation outcomes, streamline permitting, and reduce costs associated with environmental management and development oversight.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month
