NJ DEP Defends Budget Cuts, Pushes Faster Permitting
New Jersey's environmental agency faces a $2.8 million cut to conservation education programs while getting $4.3 million to speed up permits that currently take 18 months just to clear their first hurdle. Acting DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak defended Gov. Mikie Sherrill's proposed $1.3 billion departmental budget before the Senate budget and appropriations committee Tuesday in Trenton, saying years of flat funding have left the agency unable to hire staff or upgrade technology fast enough to keep pace with permitting demand. "That's a year and a half of taxes you would pay just to find out where you can build on a property," Potosnak said. "So many projects depend on that, and the 18-month average means that many are taking longer than that."
