Residents ask Franklin Township to back New Jersey Climate Superfund Act; council agrees to place resolution on next agenda

Several residents on Feb. 11 urged the Franklin Township Council to adopt a resolution supporting the New Jersey Climate Superfund Act, telling the council the measure would let municipalities recover costs for flood protection, stormwater upgrades and other climate-related remediation.

Robert Scottyping of Onazuka Court opened public comment asking the council to adopt the resolution and saying the bill had been voted out of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on Dec. 12, 2024. Kikian Astasakos of Enclave Circle and Linda Powell of Buffet Drive also spoke in favor, citing the bill’s intent to require fossil fuel companies to pay for climate damages and pointing to reporting that company scientists understood the risks decades ago.

Why it matters: Supporters said the measure would help offset local costs for storm damage and infrastructure upgrades that they say are growing with increasingly severe weather.

Speakers described the legislation by bill numbers and sources discussed at the meeting. Kikian Astasakos referenced Assembly Bill 4696 by number and urged a fairer distribution of costs. Linda Powell cited a Scientific American article saying Exxon knew of climate change risks as early as 1977 and said the township should urge state lawmakers to act. Robert Cone, who said he recently spoke with supporters in New York, noted two states had already passed similar laws and asked Franklin Township to join them.

Council response: Mayor Philip Kramer said he would place the resolution on a future agenda and asked that any requested corrections be submitted to the clerk; he invited environmental commission feedback and said he would circulate suggested text for council members to review. A council member asked staff to coordinate offline and indicated there was broad support for getting the wording right before formal consideration.

No formal vote on the resolution occurred at the Feb. 11 meeting; the council’s next step was to schedule the item for a future meeting for formal debate and a recorded vote.

Clarifying details: Residents and speakers referenced the measure as the "New Jersey Climate Superfund Act," listed Senate Bill S3545 and Assembly Bill A4696 by number, and said S3545 had advanced out of a Senate committee on 12/12/2024. Speakers also cited a Scientific American article and public records obtained via FOIA as background for their request.

Next steps: The mayor asked the environmental commission’s suggested correction be submitted; the clerk will place the item on a future agenda unless a council member objects offline.