In an episode of “Ask Governor Murphy” on WNYC 93.9 in May 2023, the governor was asked about the proliferation of artificial turf (a.k.a. plastic grass) athletic fields in New Jersey. He stated he has “mixed emotions” but “on the margins, you’d much rather have natural grass.”. He acknowledged that artificial turf fields “…are not as good for our kids, and they’re not as good for the environment, in fact they’re bad for the environment.” However, he also expressed concerns about “mud pits” that natural grass fields can become after heavy rain, etc.