July 31, 2008
Contact: Jason Smith / (609) 693-6700Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-9), Senator Christopher J. Connors (R-9)
Concerned over potential property damage and the loss of federal funding, the 9th District Delegation announced today it will be introducing legislation calling on the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to devise a funding formula within the Shore Protection Fund for the acquisition of beach easements as required by the federal government in beach replenishment projects.
The announcement today by Senator Christopher J. Connors, Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf and Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt is in direct response to an ongoing situation in the Borough of Harvey Cedars. Currently, easements from 15 oceanfront homeowners are required to move forward with the completion of the beach replenishment project.
“With no end in sight to the impasse reached by the Borough and certain residents, it becomes clearer every day that the process, as it currently exists for the acquisition of easements, is deeply flawed and needs to be supplemented,” said Senator Connors. “During recent State Budget deliberations, the excuse given for raiding the Shore Protection Fund to keep state parks open was that the Fund has been underutilized by a lack of identified projects. If that is the case, why didn’t the state intercede in Harvey Cedars by attempting to purchase these easements if funding was available at the time? Even more confounding is that allowing this funding to be siphoned off for other-than-intended purposes seems to contradict the DEP’s ongoing efforts for what it believes to be a need to improve public access near beaches. In the meantime, general concern continues to spread among local residents fearful that their community will be left susceptible to flooding if an agreement is not reached by all oceanfront homeowners.”
The Delegation has contacted the Office of Legislative Services (OLS) requesting that a joint resolution be drafted and prepared for introduction when the State Legislature reconvenes from the summer recess. Language will be incorporated into the Resolution stating that the viability of the State’s tourism economy rests heavily on the condition of its beaches.
“Recognizing that New Jersey gets the least back on its tax dollars from Washington of all the states, it’s imperative that the situation in Harvey Cedars be resolved before the federal funding that has already been secured is no longer available,” added Assemblyman Rumpf. “Surely, some other state can and will make a compelling argument for why it should be the beneficiary of that funding by displaying the ability to move forward on a replenishment project. We are proposing a practical solution that utilizes an existing and appropriate funding source. It’s time Trenton woke up to the fact that maintaining public beaches is a shared responsibility of all taxpayers living in the state. Moreover, unlike the millions of dollars spent in pork barrel projects over the past several years, there is a guaranteed return on investments made in beach replenishment projects generated from tourism revenue.”
Assemblyman Van Pelt, a member of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, remarked, “As it appears the situation in Harvey Cedars will remain at a stalemate, the probability of damage to the surrounding dunes and local property will only continue to increase. Surely, the financial responsibility of moving this project forward can’t reside solely with the Borough and its residents. Protecting our state’s coastline is a shared responsibility not unlike the funding of public education, whereby millions of dollars from Ocean County taxpayers is sent to educate children in other counties including Abbott districts. If the situation involved a stadium project in the northern end of the state, I sincerely doubt there would be any problem securing state funding.”
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