On America's
first official "Earth Day" — April 22, 1970, the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection was born. New Jersey became the
third state in the country to consolidate its past programs into a unified
major agency to administer aggressive environmental protection and conservation
efforts. Former Governor William T. Cahill appointed Richard J. Sullivan
as the first commissioner.
Since that day, NJDEP began a role to manage natural
resources and solve pollution problems. In what started with about
1,400 employees in five divisions, NJDEP now has a staff of approximately
3,400 and is a leader in the country for its pollution prevention
efforts and innovative environmental management strategies. |
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