Thursday, February 7, 2013
Commissioner Martin says agencies could dispatch sand to at-risk areas
A coming storm could impact the already battered Jersey Shore, but the state Department of Environmental Protection is coordinating dumping emergency sand to help protect the shorefront. DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said his office is in contact with shore towns establishing who has protecting berms in place and who may need emergency sand on their beaches. Another anticipated storm surge in places without established dunes, wiped out by Hurricane Sandy, could become an issue in the forecast. Martin said his office is closely monitoring the storm. If needed, emergency sand could be dispatched to at-risk beaches from the DEP and other agencies, Martin said. “Whether through us, through FEMA, through the army corps of engineers, we’re looking…
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Officials tout progress, activists say more should be done
Praise and criticism for Gov. Chris Christie's ten point plan to revitalize Barnegat Bay came from many of the same people Thursday, as state officials touted historic measures to restore the estuary and local activists said even more should be done. It's been about a year since Christie announced his plan, which includes measures ranging from an early closure of the Oyster Creek Generating Station to lawn fertilizer regulations. Since then, the state has committed millions of dollars and plenty of attention to the matter, said state DEP Commissioner Bob Martin, who gave a one-year update on the plan at the Joseph A. Citta Scout Reservation in Waretown. So far, Martin said, work on the plan has included reaching a deal with Exelon Nuclear …
Friday, July 15, 2011
DEP, local officials working on water quality plan.
If 33,000 acres once destined for sewers in Ocean County are eliminated from areas where sewers are allowed, is it really an increase in the area where development is encouraged? Some environmentalists claim it is. Ocean County officials accuse them of fuzzy math when they claim an additional 16,000 acres will be open to sewers and the development that could follow. Planning Director David McKeon said the grinding of bureaucratic gears has fueled the dispute. He explained it this way: The state Department of Environmental Protection came up with a water quality plan that would remove 50,000 acres of land from areas previously proposed for sewering. Then the DEP sent the plan to county and local officials for fine tuning. That fine tuning …
Friday, June 3, 2011
Meeting on LBI shows where lines are drawn in ongoing debate
Those who came out for and against proposed changes to New Jersey's waterfront public access laws found some common ground at a final public hearing on the issue on Thursday night, but strong opinions from those on both sides of the debate let it be known where the lines were drawn in the sand. The debate has been roaring for some time and, most recently, at public hearings held by the state Department of Environmental Protection. The uproar is over the state's policies toward allowing public access to waterfront areas. The rules would change the type of access private business owners would have to provide the general public, and also put access plans in the hands of individual municipalities rather than a single plan for the entire state…
Monday, May 23, 2011
New rules could impact boardwalk, parking, bathroom facilities placement near beaches
The state Department of Environmental Protection continues to hold open forums for the public to weigh in on beach access rules. At issue at a previous forum in Richard Stockton College was whether municipalities should set their own beach access guidelines, or whether the state should. Participants asked if too much power being given to municipalities when it comes to new beach access rules being proposed by Gov. Chris Christie. The next forum is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, May 23, at the Seaside Heights Municipal Court room. Another hearing has been added for June 2 at 7 p.m. at the Long Beach Township Municipal Building. Comments sent directly to the DEP Commissioner also are welcome. The deadline for public comment is June 3. Raymond …
foggyworld
12:12 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013
Now hold on. No one in NJ is allowed to build dunes on beaches without out going through all sorts of red tape with the State. It probably should be the homeowner's responsibility at least to the high water mark but the rich and famous on LBI refuse to even entertain that thought. They want the expensive Army Corps of Engineers to maintain their tax subsidized glorious second homeowner's life. more ›