Environment (Hazardous Materials)

S 743 appropriates $58.145 million in natural resource damages funds - collected from settlements with companies like Exxon and Atlantic Richfield - to New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The funds directly support habitat restoration, land acquisition, and oversight projects across specific regions (including the Lower Delaware, Atlantic, and Raritan watersheds) and Superfund sites, as prioritized by state law. The DEP may use the money for state costs, including grants to local governments or nonprofits, and can reallocate funds with approval from the Treasury Division. The bill requires written notice of any fund reallocation to key legislative committees.