Residents ask Parsippany council to back New Jersey Climate Superfund Act; mayor to seek League of Municipalities opinion

At the Jan. 7 public session of the Township Council of Parsippany (Troy Hills), residents urged the council to support the proposed New Jersey Climate Superfund Act and asked the council to adopt a local resolution backing the bill.

Ken Dalski, who identified himself as a Parsippany resident, brought a model resolution and asked the council to consider it. He said the bill would apply the “polluter pays” logic of Superfund cleanup law to greenhouse-gas emissions and asserted municipalities could receive grant funds to cover climate-related costs. "Participation in this effort will not involve any financial or legal risk to Parsippany," Dalski told the council.

Nut graf: Supporters said the bill would create a state-administered fund, paid by large historical emitters, that could be distributed as grants to municipalities for infrastructure resiliency, flood mitigation, remediation of harmful algae blooms, home buyouts in flood-prone areas, stormwater upgrades, drought-related well replacement and other climate adaptation and recovery work.

Details from speakers

- Ken Dalski (resident) said the bill is modeled after measures in New York and Vermont and suggested New Jersey could collect tens of billions of dollars; he asked the council to adopt a local resolution in support.

- Matt Kavanaugh (resident) described public-health and economic impacts of climate change and urged the council to prioritize mitigation and adaptation. "Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges in the 21st century," Kavanaugh said during his remarks.

- Nick Cormac (resident) and Janice McCarthy (chair, Environmental Committee, advisory) offered supporting remarks, urging the council to consider how climate grants could be used locally.

Questions and council response

Council members asked for clarity about who would be assessed under the bill and how grant money would be distributed. Dalski said the bill’s methodology would target companies that have emitted more than one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas since 1995 — listing global major oil producers as examples — and would not apply to local fuel vendors or small businesses.

Mayor James Barberio said he would not place the resolution directly on the council floor without vetting. "My recommendation is to send this to the League of Municipalities for their opinion," Barberio said, explaining the league represents municipalities across political lines and could provide guidance on local fiscal and legal implications. Council members indicated they could put a version of the resolution on a future agenda after that review.

Ending: Supporters asked the council to bring a resolution forward at the next meeting; the mayor directed the business administrator to submit the proposal to the League of Municipalities for review and the council indicated it would consider scheduling a resolution for a future meeting.