20+ New Jersey Municipalities Now Support NJ Climate Superfund Act

The bill cleared a key State Assembly committee earlier this month

Trenton, NJ (March 26, 2025) — 22 New Jersey municipalities representing over 1 Million New Jersey residents now formally support the New Jersey Climate Superfund Act, a bill that would make the largest fossil fuel companies in the state pay for the damages caused by climate change. Livingston and North Brunswick passed formal resolutions in support of the bill this week, underscoring the rapidly growing drumbeat of support for the bill across the state.

The 22 municipalities that have formally expressed support are Jersey City, Edison, Franklin Township, Hoboken, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Hackensack, North Brunswick, Teaneck, Fort Lee, Livingston, Rahway, Maplewood, Maple Shade, South Orange, Haddon Township, Asbury Park, Highland Park, Red Bank, Ridgefield, Leonia, Rochelle Park and Atlantic Highlands.

The Act has 29 co-sponsors in the state legislature, and recently cleared key Senate and Assembly committees. Over 100 New Jerseyans and grassroots advocacy groups rallied in support of the bill in Trenton on March 10. As New Jersey experiences an increasing number of extreme weather events, funds from the NJ Superfund Act would help fund infrastructure projects to help the state become more resilient to flooding, extreme weather events and other climate impacts, and ensure major polluters, not everyday taxpayers, are responsible for those costs.

“Given this federal government’s utter abrogation and frank disdain in preserving our fragile environment, it’s more important than ever for states and municipalities to step up on this most crucial issue,” said Shawn R. Klein, Livingston Township Councilman. “Livingston is proud to lead on this and New Jersey must continue to move the ball forward. We have to do what is right.”

“We’re proud to be looking to the future and the future is not fossil fuels,” said Mayor Mac Womack of North Brunswick, a community that recently had to spend millions of dollars rebuilding their municipal building after Hurricane Ida destroyed it.

“We’re proud to support the NJ Climate Superfund Act and the efforts of Food & Water Watch who we partnered with to protect our residents from a major polluting power plant proposed in North Bergen,” said Ridgefield Borough Councilman James Kontolios. “The NJ Climate Superfund Act, which is co-sponsored by our state representative Clinton Calabrese, will help communities like Ridgefield get to work protecting our residents and infrastructure from the impacts of wildfires, floods, and other climate hazards.”

"We are proud to formally support the NJ Climate Superfund Act,” said Leonia Borough Mayor William Ziegler. “It is long past time to hold oil companies financially accountable for the environmental damage they have knowingly caused in their relentless pursuit of excessive profits. Their actions have left our children with a world diminished from the one we enjoyed and a financial burden that should be shouldered by those most responsible.”

“With uncertainty at the federal level, it’s essential that we act as states to advance strong environmental stewardship initiatives and I’m proud to advocate for this as part of a growing chorus,” said Highland Park Borough Councilman Matthew Hersh.

“For far too long, New Jersey communities have shouldered the ever-growing costs of climate change. The NJ Superfund Act takes the burden off everyday taxpayers and puts it on the massive corporations who are responsible for this mess,” said Matthew Smith, New Jersey State Director at Food & Water Watch. “State legislators and Governor Murphy need to listen. With the federal government failing us, it’s never been more important for New Jersey to lead — — by making polluters pay, not the public.”