LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — Environmentalists say New Jersey’s proposed new rules for coastal development would place more people and property at risk from future storms like Superstorm Sandy.

At the first of three public hearings on the proposed changes Wednesday night, representatives of some of the state’s leading environmental groups said the new rules — the first changes to coastal development policy since the devastating October 2012 storm — miss a golden opportunity to better protect the coast.