Federal money may be available to expand the popular Blue Acres program, DEP Commissioner says
By Jon Hurdle, NJ Spotlight
New Jersey’s top environmental official says the state will expand its program that buys private properties in flood-prone areas after the devastation caused by Ida, but warned that any plan to move whole communities out of harm’s way is beyond the state’s means, and would require federal help.
Shawn LaTourette, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, said the state now has the money to buy some additional properties and will do so, thanks to the Legislature’s decision in 2019 to dedicate more revenue to the so-called Blue Acres program from the Corporation Business Tax.
“The program definitely needs expansion,” he said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. “Now we have that greater ability, and we’ll be making use of that, no question.”
But any purchase of whole communities would depend on more funding from the federal government, which he said could indeed be coming from Washington.
“I would be surprised if we didn’t see that come through in any kind of disaster legislation pending in Congress,” he said.
At Tuesday’s conference on environmental policy in the wake of Ida, LaTourette faced a series of questions about the future of Blue Acres after severe flooding in many communities — such as those along the Rahway River — left many with ruined homes and millions of dollars in damage.
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