Bill > S511

Introduced Session

This bill would appropriate $4 million from the General Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection to provide funding to meet the local portion of the nonfederal share requirement of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) beach replenishment project on the Barnegat Peninsula in Ocean County. The USACE provides monies, as authorized by the United States Congress, to carry out shore protection projects, including beach replenishment. These projects help the beach system absorb waves, protect upland areas from flooding, and mitigate erosion. The Barnegat Peninsula, also known as the Island Beach Peninsula or Barnegat Bay Island, is a 20-mile long, narrow barrier peninsula located in Ocean County, New Jersey. The municipalities on the Barnegat Peninsula have experienced severe beach erosion and are in need of the USACE beach replenishment project, which is scheduled to begin in late 2022 or early 2023. The federal government is covering a majority of the costs of the project, however the State and the affected municipalities are financially responsible for the nonfederal share of the project. The municipal cost share, after the State contributes its share of the costs, is approximately $7.5 million, which is unaffordable for many municipal budgets. This bill would provide $4 million in State aid in order to assist municipalities meet the local cost share requirement necessary to receive the federal monies for this critical project covering approximately 14 miles of coastline on the Barnegat Peninsula.

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Jim Holzapfel (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document