Join the conversation on October 29, 2025 to learn more about the importance of this year's election for governor in New Jersey. This talk will take place at 7:00 PM via Zoom. You will be sent a link to join after you register.
Speakers include former Mayor of West Cape May and Pinelands Commissioner, Robert Jackson, and Director of Watershed Programs for the Pinelands Alliance, Stephen Elliott, and Director of Government Relations for the Pinelands Action Campaign, Michael Klein.
The 2025 gubernatorial election in New Jersey is more consequential than usual for the Pinelands. The federal government is withdrawing national protections for clean water, clean air, and endangered species’ habitats. The decimation of the federal workforce – as of July 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency had terminated about 25 percent of its staff – will make enforcing the laws left on the books difficult.
New Jersey’s next governor will need to enforce and enact state-based policies to protect the Pinelands and the entire state’s environment. We need the next governor to uphold the Wharton State Forest Visiting Vehicle Use Map, which has improved visitors’ experiences; enhanced public safety by supporting State Park Police patrols, improved routine maintenance and access for emergency responders; and strengthened the protection of the forest’s wildlife habitats and rare plants.
The next governor could determine the outcome of two important legislative proposals. First the Green Amendment, which would amend the New Jersey Constitution to provide that every person has a right to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, a safe climate, and ecologically healthy habitat. And second, the Climate Superfund Act, which would establish that certain fossil fuel companies are liable for damage caused to New Jersey through greenhouse gas emissions and create a grant program for climate change adaptation and resilience projects that would benefit communities in the Pinelands and statewide.
