Bill Text: NJ ACR98 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges DEP Commissioner to establish funding formula within Shore Protection Fund for acquisition of certain beach easements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-29 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee [ACR98 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-ACR98-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 98
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED JANUARY 29, 2018
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DIANNE C. GOVE
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
Assemblyman BRIAN E. RUMPF
District 9 (Atlantic, Burlington and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Urges DEP Commissioner to establish funding formula within Shore Protection Fund for acquisition of certain beach easements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to establish a funding formula within the Shore Protection Fund for the acquisition of beach easements.
Whereas, New Jersey's beaches are a vital recreational resource as well as a buffer between ocean waves and landward development; and
Whereas, Shore protection projects and beach replenishment are necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents of the State's coastal areas, since healthy beaches act as a buffer between the pounding surf and the homes, businesses, and infrastructure along the coast; and
Whereas, Securing federal funding for shore protection projects requires the acquisition of easements as a condition for completion of a beach replenishment project, as well as public access; and
Whereas, The cost of beach replenishment and the protection of New Jersey's coast is a shared responsibility of all the State's residents; and
Whereas, New Jersey's beaches are a crucial aspect of the State's tourism economy which generates billions of dollars in revenue each year; and
Whereas, Current law requires that monies deposited in the "Shore Protection Fund" be used, in accordance with the priority list approved by the Legislature pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1997, c.384 (C.13:19-16.2), for shore protection projects associated with the protection, stabilization, restoration or maintenance of the shore, including monitoring studies and land acquisition, consistent with the current New Jersey Shore Protection Master Plan, and may also include the nonfederal share of any State-federal project; and
Whereas, A portion of the monies in the Shore Protection Fund were diverted in the Fiscal Year 2009 State budget from their dedicated purpose of shore protection to instead help pay for the operation and maintenance of State parks and forests; and
Whereas, Given the availability of monies in the Shore Protection Fund to be used for other purposes unrelated to the protection of the State's coast, it is altogether fitting and proper for the Legislature to urge the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to take action to provide funding for the acquisition of beach easements critical to shore protection projects; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection is urged to establish a funding formula within the Shore Protection Fund for the acquisition of beach easements necessary for the completion of shore protection projects.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to establish a funding formula within the Shore Protection Fund for the acquisition of beach easements necessary for the completion of shore protection projects.
New Jersey's beaches not only provide recreation for beachgoers and fishermen and support a multi-billion dollar tourism industry, but also play a critical role when the State is faced with coastal storms since healthy beaches provide mitigation by acting as a buffer between the pounding surf and the homes, businesses, and infrastructure located along the coast.
