Report: NJ lawmakers get failing grade on environment

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey environmental group says in a new report the Legislature gets a failing grade when it comes to protecting the state's natural resources.

Clean Water Action on Wednesday released a report that tallies how lawmakers voted on more than a dozen bills considered environmentally significant in 2014 and 2015.

The report found that the Democrat-led Legislature scored an average of 47 percent. That's down from an average score of 48 percent from the last report that looked at 2010-2013.

Overall, Democrats scored 54 percent and Republicans received a grade of 35 percent.

The bills used to calculate the score included a measure allowing development permits to be extended and legislation that changed a requirement that municipalities get voter approval before privatizing public water systems.

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