TRENTON, January 11, 2024 — Jersey Water Works Steering Committee co-chairs, Nicole Miller and Andy Kricun, released the following statements on New Jersey Future Statement on Governor Murphy’s 2024 State of the State Address in light of the State of Emergency.
“On Tuesday, New Jersey entered a state of emergency due to a storm that impacted our state with rain and wind gusts, flooding, downed trees, and power outages. For water advocates, severe storms like this underscore the need to improve our state’s water infrastructure and make it more resilient,“ said Nicole Miller, Jersey Water Works co-chair. “With climate change expected to cause more severe and frequent storms, as well as a rise in river levels in the near future, the situation is especially concerning.”
“While the recent influx of federal funding for water infrastructure was a meaningful investment, a significant water infrastructure funding gap remains. That gap will only widen with increasingly severe impacts of climate change and the discovery of emerging contaminants, like PFAS, while New Jersey’s water systems continue to age,” added Jersey Water Works Steering Committee co-chair, Andy Kricun. “New Jersey’s leaders must keep our water agenda front and center and take every opportunity to address today’s urgent priorities, including climate change, emerging contaminants, stormwater management, and lead service line replacement. In addition, we need to assist low-income households as well to make sure that every NJ resident, regardless of who they are, where they live or their income, has access to safe drinking water. We ask Governor Murphy and all our decision makers to prioritize water infrastructure in 2024, and hereafter, before New Jersey finds itself in a permanent state of emergency. Our health depends on it.”