ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 72

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED MARCH 25, 1996

 

 

By Assemblyman SULIGA

 

 

An Assembly Resolution urging the Governor to support continued use of the "Mud Dump" site, six miles off of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, as a disposal site for disposal of contaminated dredged material until environmentally preferable, practicable non-ocean disposal alternatives exist for disposal of contaminated dredged material.

 

Whereas, The dredged material disposal site located six miles off of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, referred to as the "Mud Dump" site, is currently available as a disposal site for some contaminated dredged material pursuant to permits issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in consultation with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and

Whereas, The USACE and the EPA are currently seeking to expand the Mud Dump site to include contiguous areas historically used for disposal, and such an expanded Mud Dump site is estimated to provide approximately 10 years of disposal capacity for Category I and II dredged material, which are categories of dredged materials that are contaminated at levels low enough to allow for oceanic disposal; and

Whereas, The current Mud Dump site can be environmentally phased-out in an orderly manner by "capping," the use of clean dredged material or clean fill as cover to contain contaminated dredged material and minimize or prevent the exposure of those sediments to the surronding aquatic environment; and

Whereas, The development of environmentally preferable and practicable non-ocean disposal alternatives is a priority but the alternatives do not yet exist; and

Whereas, The necessity of dredging the port of New Jersey and New York is important for tourism and is imperative for the economic vitality of the State as well as the port area and region; and

Whereas, Contaminant analyses conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on bluefish, fluke, sea bass, and tautog, four species frequently caught and sold for human consumption, found that concentrations of PCBs and other contaminants in the fish were low and within the range of levels found in uncontaminated fish, and levels of mercury are were well below the federal Food and Drug Administration action level for warnings on human consumption; now, therefore

 

    Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. The General Assembly urges the Governor to support continued use of the "Mud Dump" site, six miles off of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, as a disposal site for disposal of contaminated dredged material until environmentally preferable, practicable non-ocean disposal alternatives exist for disposal of contaminated dredged material.

 

    2. A duly authenticated copy of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be forwarded to the Governor.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This resolution urges the Governor to support continued use of the "Mud Dump" site, six miles off of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, as a disposal site for disposal of contaminated dredged material until environmentally preferable, practicable non-ocean disposal alternatives exist for disposal of contaminated dredged material.

 

 

                             

 

Urges Governor to support the use of Mud Dump site until non-ocean disposal alternatives exist for dredged material.