CNBNews

image courtesy of Politico

The following bills will be up for a vote on the Assembly floor on Monday, March 1, 2021:

A4397 Aca (Pinkin) Allows installation of residential solar energy systems prior to obtaining construction permit or interconnection approval during COVID-19 emergency.

“Our solar jobs were hit hard by the public health emergency, but these projects should be prioritized when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus impacts. For the first few months of the public health emergency, New Jersey wasn’t letting solar installations to continue. Meanwhile, projects like the NJ Turnpike widenings and other fossil fuel projects have been allowed to continue unhindered during the pandemic. The SRL pipeline was under construction while solar couldn’t be built,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This legislation will help solar jobs continue during the pandemic to reduce pollution and climate impacts.”

A850 AcaScaSa (Chiaravalloti):  Establishes "Broadband Access Study Commission”. The objective of the commission is to evaluate the feasibility of establishing community broadband networks in New Jersey. The commission would report its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within a year of the first commission meeting.

“This law is a step forward when it comes to making sure everyone has internet access. Creating a Broadband Access Study Commission will help make sure that people living in underserved communities can have access to high-speed internet. This is more important than ever during the pandemic. Many people are still working from home and children are remote learning,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Families coping with distance learning for children, or multiple family members working from home at once, strains internet bandwidth and access to computers at home.”

AR81 Aca (Wimberly): Urges Congress to pass "Community Parks Revitalization Act." The proposed federal “Community Parks Revitalization Act” would require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a community revitalization program consisting of federal grants to eligible local governments. 

“It is important for Congress to pass the Community Parks Revitalization Act because it will bring in federal funding for local governments. This will really help cities and counties fix up their parks and create more green space. On average, communities in New Jersey have only half of the amount of parks recommended by guidelines. In our urban areas, it’s as low as 25% of what is recommended,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Federal funding is critical for helping revitalize our cities and neighborhoods. This will go to help fix up and create new parks in areas that don’t have access to parks or even backyards.”

source NJ Sierra Club