Gov. Chris Christie today signed three bills today that allows the state to make interest-free loans to local governments for “clean water” projects. Christie, speaking at the Musconetcong Sewerage Authority in the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive, said the bills would help the economy and the environment at the same time.

“One of the goals of this administration has been to debunk the myth that you cannot have a growing, vital economy while protecting the environment,” he said. “These bills prove that there are ways to be able to do that.”

The state will help local governments and private companies by issuing at or below-market-rate loans on 181 projects that are on a state priority lists for clean water and drinking water projects, totaling $821 million.