– U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, will co-chair a bipartisan congressional hearing on the state of human rights issues in the Republic of Azerbaijan since the COP 29 UN Climate Change Conference, which took place in Baku in November 2024 with Azerbaijan as host government. Before the conference, Azerbaijan’s role to host the event was viewed as an opportunity for the government to showcase itself and improve its international image. Though th... Read more

—Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) joined firefighters from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service today at the site of the Jones Road Wildfire, which has so far ravaged over 15,000 acres in Southern Ocean County. “The work of the firefighters has been amazing,” Smith said. "These men and women have fought and are continuing to fight until this wildfire is out. They have certainly saved many homes and businesses—and lives—by steering the fire away from populated areas. Still, the fire crossed the Parkway and ... Read more

By Stephanie A. Faughnan - LACEY – When Bob Nosti left town with his wife on April 22, he glanced south and noticed a pillar of smoke rising into the sky. He thought little of it — in Ocean County, springtime often brings controlled burns to clear underbrush. But by the time he returned home hours later, the smoke had thickened, the air was acrid, and the Garden State Parkway traffic had grounded to a halt. What Nosti didn’t know then was that the warehouse housing his life’s work — Liberty Doo... Read more

—Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today commended the Trump Administration for its fast review and determination to make federal dollars accessible as State and local agencies tabulate the costs incurred in battling and recovering from the Jones Road Wildfire which has ravaged more than 15,000 acres in Southern Ocean County. “At this very moment our firefighters, led by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS), are holding the line on this massive wildfire and are working tirelessly to protect lives, h... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today issued the following statement on the Jones Road Wildfire and the heroic response by firefighters: “I want to express my deep and sincere gratitude to the expert men and women who have been working under extraordinary conditions to fight back against and contain the Jones Road Wildfire which has been raging in parts of my congressional district in Ocean County. Thankfully, no one has suffered life-threatening injuries—despite the fact that over 12,500 acres of fores... Read more

Carly Baldwin,Patch Staff Posted Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 12:50 pm ET | Updated Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 5:18 pm ET — Last Wednesday, April 16, the Trump administration issued a stop-work order to a wind farm off the Jersey Shore that started undersea installation work — despite President Trump's ban on all new offshore wind development. The wind farm is Empire Wind 1, owned by Norwegian renewable energy company Equinor. In 2017, Empire Wind received a permit to build a wind farm 19 miles off Long Bran... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith released the following statement on the passing of Pope Francis: My wife, Marie, and I join all people of good will in praying that eternal rest be granted to His Holiness Pope Francis. Pope Francis appealed to politicians of all faiths to “put as the first rock of the common good the defense of the life of those that are about to be born and make their entrance in society, to which they bring novelty, a future and hope.” We pray for peace, wisdom and the guidance of the ... Read more

News 12 Staff • Apr 19, 2025, 3:25 PM Last year, the federal government gave its approval for the offshore wind project Empire Wind 1 and 2, which went into construction earlier this month. Now the project is on pause. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management got word to put the brakes on the Empire project from the Department of Interior, pending review to "address these serious deficiencies." In a letter to the BOEM from the Sec. Doug Burgum, he states the project was rushed through by the Biden... Read more

By Patrick McGeehan - April 16, 2025 - Just as construction was starting on a massive wind farm off the coast of Long Island, the Trump administration ordered an immediate halt on Wednesday that could spell a serious setback for hopes of powering New York City with offshore wind. Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, called for the cessation of “all construction activities” on the Empire Wind project, which was designed to provide enough electricity to power about 500,000 homes in New York. On th... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) applauded the decision today by the Trump Administration Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, who ordered the cessation of construction on the Empire Wind project off the coast of New Jersey and New York. “This is a great victory for all of us who have been fighting to protect the Jersey Shore from offshore wind industrialization. We are grateful to President Trump and Secretary Burgum for their analysis and confirmation of the serious issues we have raised throughout... Read more