LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2608

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JANUARY 23, 1997

      Assembly Bill No. 2608 of 1996 eliminates the need for counties and municipalities, and their agencies, to get a permit or approval from the Department of Environmental Protection or any other State agency in order to engage in a stream cleaning, clearing or desnagging project upon certain streams. The intent of the bill is to allow local governments to engage in minor stream cleaning activities without the need to wait long periods of time for State approvals.

      The bill also provides that local governments only be exempted from the need to obtain a permit or approval for those activities on nontrout waters and intermittent, or small, streams; that only certain minor cleaning activities may be undertaken under this exemption; and that local governments be required to submit a notice and an engineering certification to relevant State agencies prior to the commencement of a project.

      The Office of Legislative Services estimates that money will be saved by local governments from the elimination of certain application and permit fees under the bill, and that an equal amount of fee revenues will be subsequently lost by the DEP and other affected State agencies. However, due to the unpredictable frequency of undertaking the types of stream cleaning projects allowed under the bill, these amounts should be small and therefore not have a significant fiscal impact on either the State Budget or on local government budgets.

      This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.