New Jersey environmental officials are overhauling their approach to how climate modeling informs construction requirements to account for rising sea levels. The new rules, which would need to be signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, would require some homes to be built 5 feet above flood levels – a move environmentalists are praising as forward-thinking. But some in the business community and real estate industry argue that the changes go too far and are calling on Murphy not to sign them.
Coffey said the new rules would mark the first time the state is using “future climate modeling” to help determine land use regulations. If Murphy signs off on the changes by the August 2025 deadline, they’d take effect next year. “Our recommendation to the governor and to DEP, pull this back, start again,” said Ray Cantor, deputy chief governmental affairs officer for the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, a trade organization whose members include residential and commercial builders and developers. He added that if 2 feet turns out to be too low, “we have 75 years to adjust.”
“From 1911 to 2019, sea level along the Jersey coast rose by about 1.5 feet, compared to about an 8 inches global rise over the same period,” he said. “If you zoom in to the last 40 years, you see 8 inches of rise , which is about twice the global average.” Superstorm Sandy hit Dan Bachalis' home in Margate, New Jersey in 2012. He said the nearly 2 feet of water that inundated the first floor did thousands of dollars worth of damage that took months to repair.Even after he and his wife cleaned up, Bachalis said they almost had to sell the house when their flood insurance premium rose to around $13,000.