TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Bob Smith and Paul A. Sarlo which would promote the construction and renovation of buildings to meet green building standards in New Jersey was approved by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee today by a vote of 9-3.
“With unemployment rates soaring and the State economy in need of new business investment, development and redevelopment in the Garden State is at a crossroads,” said Senator Smith, D-Middlesex and Somerset, and Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee. “We need to spur renewed investment in our communities, and can encourage environmentally-sensitive construction as we redevelop older urban, suburban and exurban neighborhoods. Through a State low-interest loan program for green construction, we can bolster our fragile economy without jeopardizing our fragile environment.”