7 Things You Should Know About NJs $500M Plan To Fight Lead – Newark, NJ Patch

NEW JERSEY – Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled this week what he calls his comprehensive statewide plan to eliminate lead exposure in New Jersey. And the $500 million plan has seven components that he says will protect all residents, especially children, from the dangers of lead.

And it will come at a cost, replacing lines that you didn’t realize were dangerous – but they run through your neighborhood, anyway, and Murphy is ready to take whatever action is necessary to remove them.

“Our country’s deteriorating water infrastructure has sparked a national conversation regarding the best path forward to protect our communities from the dangers of lead exposure,” said Murphy.

“While modernizing our aging water infrastructure is a critical piece in ensuring access to clean, safe drinking water, we must also work creatively and collaboratively to prevent lead exposure from lead-based paint in homes and contaminated soil in our communities.”

Murphy’s statewide strategy addresses the following areas:

Financing

Murphy proposes a $500 million bond to support the replacement of lead service lines and remediation of lead-based paint in homes across New Jersey. The governor also supports efforts to allow water utilities to mitigate the cost of lead service line replacement for homeowners.

Accountability and Transparency

The New Jersey Departments of Children and Families, Community Affairs, Education, Environmental Protection, Health, and Human Services will collaborate to establish a publicly available, comprehensive lead testing strategy that addresses housing, schools, and daycare facilities.

The strategy will address necessary disclosures and notifications for residents, as well as enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with testing, disclosure, notification, remediation, and abatement requirements, Murphy said.

Inventories

Infrastructure records across the state are incomplete and inaccurate, and the state does not have the exact number and locations of homes with lead paint, plumbing, and infrastructure. The data is needed in order to address the full scope of the problem and to support notification and disclosure efforts to the public, Murphy said.

The Department of Environmental Protection will improve the statewide inventory of lead service lines, and the Department of Community Affairs will reinstate the Lead-Safe Housing Registry, both in an effort to understand the true scope and distribution of lead contamination throughout the state, Murphy said.

Schools

As Murphy announced on Oct. 7, the Department of Education will develop new regulations to accelerate its current lead-testing protocol. All New Jersey public schools will be required to test for lead in water every three years and share the testing results with the Department of Education, where they will be publicly shared in a state-maintained database.

The Department of Education will also increase enforcement mechanisms to hold schools accountable and ensure compliance. In addition, the administration will prioritize funding from the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act to reduce lead exposure in schools.

Public Health

The state will undertake a coordinated multi-pronged public health strategy led by the Departments of Health, Human Services, and Children and Families to strengthen data and reporting infrastructure, support prevention efforts including targeted education and outreach efforts, and continue to support the needs of children impacted by lead through comprehensive interventions and supports.

The administration will also work to better coordinate and ensure access to services and supports across programs for children in need. Further, the departments will work to include blood lead level testing as a requirement for entry into public child care, preschool, and schools.

Housing

Housing is the primary source for lead exposure, and 80 percent of lead poisoning cases are caused by lead-based paint in homes built before 1978. The governor supports legislation to create a “Lead-Safe” certificate program requiring inspection and disclosure of lead hazards at point of sale and inspection and remediation for all rental homes that were built before 1978.

Working with other state agencies, the Department of Environmental Protection will develop a plan to replace all lead service lines across New Jersey within 10 years.

Workforce Development

In order to pursue required upgrades and improvements to the state’s water infrastructure, it is imperative that the workforce is trained and certified in remediation and maintenance, Murphy said. At least one-third of water and wastewater operators are at or near retirement age, Murpphy said.

Home inspectors and renovators must receive additional training and certification to address lead issues. As of August, there were only 60 certified lead evaluation contractors and 46 contractor certified lead abatement contractors in New Jersey, Murphy said.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and the Department of Education will develop workforce training and career outreach programs to high schools, vocational-technical schools, and community colleges to recruit younger generations into the trades. Additionally, the departments will consider how licensing requirements can better align with other neighboring states.

“Access to reliable and up-to-date information about lead-safe housing in New Jersey will allow us to tackle the issue of lead poisoning head-on – knowledge is power,” said Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. “Our families deserve to know how they can protect themselves and their children from lead poisoning, 80 percent of which is caused by exposure to lead-based paint in the home. By reinstating the Lead-Safe Housing Registry at DCA, the State is getting a true scope of the problem while equipping residents with the information they need to make sound decisions about where they live.”