FILE – Peter Green surveys the wreckage of an oceanfront home in Bay Head, N.J., on Oct. 31, 2012, two days after Superstorm Sandy struck. A public-private group formed after Sandy, Rebuild By Design, is recommending that New Jersey adopt three permanent sources of funding for climate resilience projects, including a public referendum, a 2% surcharge on property insurance policies and mandatory payments from the oil and gas industry. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)

LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — A 2% surcharge on property insurance, mandatory fees for the oil and gas industry and holding a public referendum are among the ways a public-private group formed after Superstorm Sandy is recommending paying for projects to protect New Jersey from the next big storm.

A report released this week, Rebuild By Design, which outlines disaster resilience plans, found that New Jersey is being hit by climate-related disasters that will cost taxpayers $7.2 billion over a decade.

It urges the state to hold a public referendum for voters to approve investments in climate-related resilience projects. It also calls for a surcharge on property and casualty insurance policies, as well as the creation of a “Super fund” that the resilience projects are paid for through mandatory levies on the oil and gas industry.

Two Democratic state lawmakers introduced a bill earlier this month to do that in New Jersey. New York has passed a similar law, which is awaiting action from Gov. Kathy Hochul, and similar efforts have been made in Massachusetts, Vermont and Maryland, the group said.

“Much of the federal funding for building climate resilience is only available when people are already suffering from the aftermath of a disaster,” said Amy Chester, the group’s general manager. “We need to shift those investments to dollars that can be allocated more proactively to build resilience before storms hit and before the most vulnerable communities suffer.”

The group has designed programs in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that build on lessons learned from Sandy. They include a mix of hard barriers such as flood walls and gates; nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration; and stormwater and drainage improvements that are in various stages of completion across the region.

It says New Jersey experienced 14 federally declared disasters between 2011 and 2021. Each of the state’s 21 counties experienced at least five such disasters, including flooding and wildfires, during that time.

With $7.2 billion in emergency aid spent in New Jersey, the state ranks third in the United States over that period, the group said.

Environmental groups applauded the call for a stable source of funding for projects to mitigate the impact of the next storm, rather than just clean up and rebuild.

“New Jersey is the fastest warming state in the Northeast and the third fastest warming state in the nation, meaning our communities and homes are on the front lines,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, executive director of the Sierra Club of New Jersey. “We urgently need government funding to protect ourselves and our environment in advance from worsening storms, floods and extreme weather events to increase our capacity to withstand and recover. We must take preventative action now to save lives and our wallets from future disasters.”

Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, said poor land-use decisions have put many people and government investments at risk.

“That vulnerability increases as the climate impacts increase,” he said.

Ray Cantor, an official with the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, said the group agrees on the need to increase resilience to natural disasters. But he added: “How it is financed is, as always, a discussion that must take into account feasibility and affordability.”

The office of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy did not respond to a request for comment, and the state Department of Environmental Protection declined to comment.

Sandy struck the nation’s most populous metro area on October 29, 2012, inundating coastal communities, knocking out power, flooding public transportation and setting neighborhoods ablaze. It is responsible for 182 deaths, including 12 in New Jersey and 48 in New York, and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage, including $36.8 billion in New Jersey and $32.8 billion in New York.

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