Public Question 4: Green Acres, Farmland and Historic Preservation, and Blue Acres Bond Issue

Public approval of Public Question 4 authorized the state to issue $340 million in bonds for multiple uses, including acquiring coastal properties that are prone to or have incurred flood or storm damage, and acquiring properties in the floodway of the Passaic River and its tributaries that are prone to or have incurred flood or storm damage.

Since its inception in 1995, Blue Acres has worked to better protect public safety and the environment by relocating New Jersey families whose homes are subject to repeated flooding and acquiring property for use as natural flood storage, parks, and community open space.

Today, DEP Blue Acres has two core missions:

- Disaster Recovery: Blue Acres helps New Jersey residents whose homes have been damaged in flooding events, such as those whose homes were destroyed or damaged when the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida impacted New Jersey in September 2021.
- Preparedness: Blue Acres contributes to New Jersey’s Climate Change Resilience Strategy through a proactive approach to guide state acquisition of lands that increases host community resilience through the strategic acquisition of lands that have been damaged, or may be prone to future damage, due to sea-level rise, storms, or storm-related flooding, or that may buffer or protect other lands from such damage.

Blue Acres

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