News & Events
Event: A Conversation with New Jersey’s Flood Experts
A Conversation with New Jersey’s Flood Experts Friday, September 15, 2023, 2pm The New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center and the Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy’s Environmental Analysis and Communications Group hosted a discussion with flood hazard experts from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. ...
Pfeiffer Op-Ed: What state and local governments should do about generative AI
How can we take advantage of the technology without harming the public? Society is often slow to appreciate that technological innovations have both positive and negative outcomes. Splitting the atom led to weapons that can destroy the planet, but also provided a source of carbon-free energy and health care advances. Social media apps have connected people...
‘Not a perfect process’: How did the two versions of NJ’s budget differ?
As the process to craft New Jersey's state budget came to a chaotic close last month, rumors swirled about what needed to be done to ensure that the spending plan was final and complete by the time it made it to the governor’s desk. In each chamber of the Legislature, late-night committee meetings saw budget bills introduced and read into the record with a...
$3.25M in Grants Awarded to Create Inclusive Healthy Communities in NJ
In partnership with CUPR's Environmental Analysis & Communications Group, led by Executive Director Jeanne Herb, the Inclusive Healthy Communities Initiative of the Division of Disability Services (New Jersey Department of Human Services) funds projects that promote the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities in the communities where...
Bill Dolphin 1945-2023
We mournfully announce the passing of our long-time colleague from CUPR, Mr. William (Bill) Dolphin. He passed away Friday morning June 23, 2023 at 77 years old. David Listokin shared the following reflection: Mr. Dolphin was born in Kearny and graduated from St. Benedict’s Prep High School and St. Peter’s College. He earned a master’s degree in Sociology...
‘Secretive’ N.J. governments would be even less transparent under proposed laws, some say
Tucked in desk drawers and filed away in email inboxes in every local and county office in New Jersey are government secrets. To find them, news reporters, attorneys and even local gadflies, using access laws like the Open Public Records Act, sift through the contracts, permits and memos piled atop desks or stashed on hard drives. But some state lawmakers...
Marc Pfeiffer Participates in Eagleton Podcast on the Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence
Marc Pfeiffer, Assistant Director, Bloustein Local (CUPR), Doctor Lauren Goodlad, and Senator Andrew Zwicker discussed the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on democracy, government, and higher education. The podcast was presented by the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, “This Moment in Democracy,” which analyzes...
Gov. Murphy vetoed a 20-year service pension bill for police and firefighters. Here’s why
A bill to allow police officers and firefighters with 20 years of service to retire early with a reduced pension, regardless of their age, was conditionally vetoed by Gov. Phil Murphy, who said he wants more clarity on how the legislation would impact the state pension system. Murphy returned the proposal to the state Senate on Monday and recommended...
Your tax dollars at work. The 2023 budget details for Warren County’s biggest towns.
Warren County municipalities had until April 28 to set their spending plans for 2023, including general fund budgets covering the costs of public services. By and large, property taxes pay for most services, and budgets are kept fairly unremarkable, but one consistent trend we noticed, across municipalities, was the approval of relatively flat or low tax...
Herb Op-Ed: It’s time to review laws on hazardous materials
The Ohio train derailment should prompt a review of measures that are supposed to protect people and the environment. Many New Jerseyans followed the Feb. 3 derailment of a train operated by Norfolk Southern, near East Palestine, Ohio, that triggered a fire sending fumes from several toxic chemicals into the local environment. Chemicals released...
Recent Products
Ten questions concerning agent-based modeling of occupant behavior for energy and environmental performance of buildings
Abstract The complexity of occupant behavior is one of the major contributors to uncertainty in building performance simulation. Agent-based modeling (ABM), a computational simulation technique, has gained attention in the occupant modeling field due to its capability...
The Potential Economic Consequences of Flooding on Florida’s Historic Communities
State hazard plans demonstrate different levels of commitment in the manner in which they link historic resources and their preservation to mitigation plans. Compared to other hazards, like wildfires and tornadoes, planners have access to much more information on the...
Middlesex County Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners and each Municipality in the County adopted the All-Hazards Mitigation Plan in the original plan on January 14, 2011. This updated plan was approved in 2022 and allows each participating municipality to qualify for...
Influence of biogeochemistry on the availability of toxic metals in iron-replete New Jersey sediment
Development of a point-of-use trace metal sensor with integrated sediment microbial community and geochemical measurements Development of in-situ measurement technologies requires an in-depth understanding of the analyte and the key components from the surrounding...