Bill Text: NJ S3254 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits expenditure of Green Acres funds for purchase, use, installation, or replacement of artificial turf fields.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-08 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S3254 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S3254-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RAJ MUKHERJI
District 32 (Hudson)
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits expenditure of Green Acres funds for purchase, use, installation, or replacement of artificial turf fields.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act prohibiting the expenditure of Green Acres funds for the purchase, use, installation, or replacement of artificial turf fields and supplementing P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Synthetic turf infill is made of small, rubberized pellets typically made from used tires which contain a myriad of chemicals known to be harmful to humans, including carcinogens, neurotoxicants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
b. A regular sized synthetic turf field contains 500,000 pounds of plastic, which breaks down into microplastics and nanoplastics that are subsequently incorporated in runoff that flows into streams during heavy rains, causing environmental contamination, harm to aquatic life, and a disruption of the State's delicate ecosystem.
c. Recent studies suggest that exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics can cause negative health effects in humans, including, but not limited to, oxidative stress, inflammation, immune dysfunction, altered biochemical and energy metabolism, impaired cell proliferation, disrupted microbial metabolic pathways, abnormal organ development, and carcinogenicity.
d. To date, all studies of installed synthetic turf have found the presence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they accumulate, rather than break down, over time, and build up in the human body.
e. Recent studies suggest that exposure to PFAS, and the resulting accumulation of PFAS in the human body, may be linked to many health issues, including, but not limited to, decreased fertility in women, developmental delays in children, increased risk of certain cancers, reduced immune system response, thyroid disease, and kidney and liver damage.
f. When exposed to direct sunlight, a synthetic turf field's surface temperature can reach up to 72 degrees hotter than natural grass, increasing the surrounding air temperature and placing athletes at risk of dehydration, heat stress, burns, and heatstroke. In addition, the rough surface of synthetic turf can cause abrasions, known as turf burn.
g. Natural grass is free of the health and environmental hazards associated with synthetic turf, and organic maintenance practices, including frequent aeration and mowing, soil testing, and use of organic fertilizers, can further mitigate environmental and health risks by eliminating the need for toxic pesticides.
h. While synthetic turf is often touted as cost-effective, low-maintenance, and water-saving, the environmental, health, and safety risks greatly outweigh the intended benefits, and municipalities, school districts, or State departments or agencies should instead invest in safe, non-toxic, natural grass playing fields.
2. The moneys deposited in the "Preserve New Jersey Green Acres Fund," established pursuant to section 6 of P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-48) or any other Green Acres Fund, shall not be used to fund the purchase, use, installation, or replacement of artificial turf fields.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would prohibit the expenditure of Green Acres funds for the purchase, use, installation, or replacement of artificial turf. Synthetic turf contains a myriad of chemicals known to be harmful to humans, including carcinogens, neurotoxicants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as well as microplastics, nanoplastics, and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Natural grass is free of the health and environmental hazards associated with synthetic turf. While synthetic turf is often touted as cost-effective, low-maintenance, and water-saving, the environmental, health, and safety risks greatly outweigh the intended benefits.
