Bill Text: NJ SCR74 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges U.S. Congress and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider and incorporate coastal lake restoration projects as part of Hurricane Sandy recovery.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-27 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [SCR74 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-SCR74-Introduced.html
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 74
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 27, 2014
Sponsored by:
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges U.S. Congress and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider and incorporate coastal lake restoration projects as part of Hurricane Sandy recovery.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging the United States Congress and United States Army Corps of Engineers to consider and incorporate coastal lake restoration projects as part of Hurricane Sandy recovery.
Whereas, Hurricane Sandy, a late-season post-tropical cyclone, swept through the Caribbean and up the east coast of the United States, making landfall on October 29th, 2012 near Atlantic City, New Jersey, with winds of 80 miles per hour; and
Whereas, Hurricane Sandy was the worst storm to strike New Jersey in 100 years as demonstrated by the 346,000 homes that were damaged or destroyed, the 116,000 people who were evacuated or displaced from their homes, the hundreds of buildings, vehicles, roads, and bridges that were washed away, and the nearly 1,400 vessels that were either sunken or abandoned in the State's waterways during the storm; and
Whereas, Streets were flooded, trees and power lines were knocked down, people were left stranded in their homes, water surged over seawalls, flooded highways and low-lying streets, and inundated tunnels, subway stations, and electrical systems; and
Whereas, Under the "Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013," Public Law 113-2, the federal government made supplemental appropriations for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief, among which included directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a comprehensive study to address the flood risks of vulnerable coastal populations and to evaluate the performance of existing projects constructed by the Corps that were damaged, and making an appropriation to the Corps for construction to repair Corps projects; and
Whereas, Coastal lakes are ecologically, functionally, and geographically linked to the ocean front beach systems, and any reassessment or development in support of healthy ocean front beach systems must consider the inherent link to coastal lakes; and
Whereas, The consideration and inclusion of coastal lake restoration projects, undertaken as part of the shore protection projects under the management of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is appropriate and necessary to protect shore areas, mitigate flooding, and prevent additional severe weather related damage, in a comprehensive approach; and
Whereas, Restoration of the State's coastal lakes, and funding for restoration efforts, has been deferred and overlooked for too long, which has contributed to the decline of coastal lakes and the services and values they provide to shore communities and visitors; and
Whereas, Recognizing the potential for future severe weather events, and the need to rebuild infrastructure comprehensively within the State's coastal communities on a monumental scale, it is necessary and in the best interest of the State and in the public interest to urge the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider and incorporate coastal lake restoration in projects related to Hurricane Sandy recovery; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):
1. This concurrent resolution urges the United States Army Corps of Engineers to consider coastal lake restoration projects when studying and evaluating projects to be undertaken as part of Hurricane Sandy recovery, and incorporate coastal lake restoration projects whenever feasible, and urges the United States Congress to support and approve of such considerations and fund such projects.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this concurrent resolution, signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested to by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the General Assembly, shall be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States of America, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Administrator for Region II, the Commanding General and Chief of Engineers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, each member of the United States Congress elected from this State, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, and the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
STATEMENT
This concurrent resolution would urge the United States Army Corps of Engineers to consider coastal lake restoration projects when studying and evaluating projects to be undertaken as part of Hurricane Sandy recovery, and incorporate such projects whenever feasible, and urges the United States Congress to support and approve of such considerations and fund such projects.
This concurrent resolution declares that it is necessary and in the best interest of the State and in the public interest to urge the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild infrastructure comprehensively within the State's coastal communities on a monumental scale, by considering and incorporating coastal lake restoration projects in conjunction with Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.
The "Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013," Public Law 113-2, made supplemental appropriations for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief, among which included directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a comprehensive study to address the flood risks of vulnerable coastal populations and to evaluate the performance of existing projects constructed by the Corps that were damaged, and making an appropriation to the Corps for construction to repair Corps projects.
The inclusion of coastal lake restoration projects, as part of the shore protection projects under the management of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is appropriate and necessary to protect shore areas, mitigate flooding, and prevent additional severe weather related damage, in a comprehensive approach. Coastal lakes are ecologically, functionally, and geographically linked to the ocean front beach systems, and any reassessment or development in support of healthy ocean front beach systems must consider the inherent link to coastal lakes. Restoration of the State's coastal lakes, and funding for restoration efforts, has been deferred and overlooked for too long, which has contributed to the decline of coastal lakes and the services and values they provide to shore communities and visitors.
