Bill Text: DE SCR62 | 2013-2014 | 147th General Assembly | Draft
Bill Title: Establishing The Delaware Waterways Management And Financing Advisory Committee.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 13-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-26 - Stricken [SCR62 Detail]
Download: Delaware-2013-SCR62-Draft.html
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SPONSOR: |
Sen. Hocker & Rep. Gray |
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Sens. Cloutier, Lavelle, Lawson, Lopez, Pettyjohn, Venables; Briggs King, Hudson, Kenton, Outten, D. Short, Wilson |
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DELAWARE STATE SENATE 147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 62 |
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ESTABLISHING THE DELAWARE WATERWAYS MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING ADVISORY COMMITTEE. |
WHEREAS, Delaware's waterways are essential elements of the First State's tourism and recreation economies and support hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity annually; and
WHEREAS, there are 27 navigable waterways in the Delaware state waterway atlas; and
WHEREAS, channels used for navigation in State waters are subject to being filled in or meandering outside of their marked location due to excessive sediment in the water or water currents that cause the channel to move; and
WHEREAS, improperly maintained or marked navigational channels lead to boats running aground whichcause damage to boats, impede recreational use and disturb the bottom of the channels and the life forms found therein; and
WHEREAS, an interconnecting series of channels that are clearly marked and maintained to design depth is in the best interest of the boating public to ensure safe navigation; and.
WHEREAS, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has designated certain federally authorized channels in Delaware as "underutilized" because these waterways do not meet the current annual commercial product tonnage criteria and, therefore, fall below the eligibility level for federal funding; and
WHEREAS, the U. S. Coast Guard has initiated the process of discontinuing aids to navigation (channel markers) in certain waterways in the state due to insufficient funding at the federal level; and
WHEREAS, aids to navigation (channel markers) are lost each year due to currents, ice, vandalism and accidents; and
WHEREAS, it is also in the best interest of the State to reduce dredging costs and the sediment needed to be removed by dredging because upland confined disposal facilities are becoming extremely rare to locate; and
WHEREAS, Delaware is a national leader in advancing regional sediment management in which sediment dredged from within channelsis used beneficially to create protective wetlands or dune systems that provide the added benefit of protecting communities and restoring wildlife habitat to improve their resiliency to extreme weather events and other impacts.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 147th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the Delaware Waterways Management and Financing Advisory Committee be established to develop and submit recommendations for sustainable and dedicated funding for Waterway Management activities statewide.The Committee shall be comprised to represent a broad range of interests including legislators, recreational boaters, commercial watermen, fishing interests, dock and marina owners, business owners, municipal officials with staff and support by DNREC.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Advisory Committee shall consist of the following members:
Two (2) members of the Senate one from each caucus to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and two (2) members of the House of Representatives one from each caucus to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
One (1) representative who is a Captain/Owner of a commercial charter boating business to be selected by the Committee Chairs;
One (1) representative of retail bait and tackle/sport shop businesses to be selected by the Committee Chairs;
One (1) representative of the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays to be appointed by the Board Chairman of the Center;
One (1) representative owner of a marine dredging and construction business to be selected by the Committee Chairs;
One (1) private marina owner to be selected by the Committee Chairs;
One (1) representative of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal Improvement Association to be appointed by the president of the organization;
One (1) representative of a recreational boating transportation business to be selected by the Committee Chairs;
One (1) representative of US Coast Guard Auxiliary to be appointed by the head of the organization;
One (1) representative of the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association to be appointed by the President of the Association;
One (1) representative of the Water Use Planning and Implementation Committee (WUPAC) of the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays to be appointed by the Chair of WUPAC ;
One (1) representative of recreational fisherman to be selected by the Committee Chairs;
One representative of the Office of Management and Budget to be appointed by the Director;
One (1) representative from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to be appointed by the Secretary of the Department.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall be jointly chaired by a Senate committee member named by the President Pro Tempore and the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources or his/her designee.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) shall provide support for the Advisory Committee.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Advisory Committee shall organize and hold its first meeting by November 10, 2014 and conclude and shall report its findings to the General Assembly by January 30, 2015.
SYNOPSIS
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This Resolution establishes the Delaware Waterways Management and Financing Advisory Committee to develop and submit recommendations for sustainable and dedicated funding for Waterway Management activities statewide. |
AUTHOR:Sen. Hocker
