ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 89
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED MAY 6, 1996
By Assemblymen DeCROCE and DiGAETANO
An Assembly Resolution urging support for proposed federal legislation to provide for cost-sharing for land-based and confined aquatic facilities for the disposal of dredged material.
Whereas, The removal of sand, silt and mud, also referred to as dredged material, from navigation channels and ship berths in the port area of northern New Jersey and New York City must be performed on a regular basis to ensure the continued economic viability of the shipping and trade industry, which creates more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, provides more than $20 billion in regional economic benefits and generates salaries and wages in excess of $5 billion per year; and
Whereas, It must be recognized that, while the economic importance of dredging is significant, the dredged material is often contaminated with harmful and dangerous substances which cannot be directly disposed of by ocean dumping; and
Whereas, Under current federal law the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund may be used to provide the federal share of the costs of dredging federal navigation channels, but there is no provision for sharing the cost of disposal on land or in a confined aquatic disposal facility, which would assist in providing options for the disposal of contaminated dredged materials from the northern New Jersey and New York City port area; and
Whereas, Congressman Robert Franks of the Seventh Congressional District has introduced a bill in Congress entitled the "Port Revitalization Act of 1996," which allows the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to be used for the costs of providing land-based and confined aquatic facilities for the disposal of dredged material, including the cost of diking and the cost of applying dredged material to beneficial uses, and the other improvements necessary for the proper disposal and decontamination of dredged materials, as well as the costs of the operation and maintenance of such disposal facilities; and
Whereas, The proposed federal legislation will enable the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which reportedly has a current estimated balance of $600 million, to be used to defray the costs of perhaps the most serious problem facing the northern New Jersey and New York City port area, which problem, if not expeditiously attacked, may lead to the closure of the port area to important elements of inter-ocean commerce and have devastating economic effects on the region; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. For the public policy reasons enumerated in the preamble to this resolution, this House urges support for the proposed federal legislation to provide for cost-sharing for land-based and confined aquatic facilities for the disposal of dredged material sponsored by Congressman Robert Franks.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice-President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and to each member of Congress elected thereto from this State.
STATEMENT
This Assembly Resolution urges support for proposed federal legislation, sponsored by Congressman Robert Franks, to provide for cost-sharing for land-based and confined aquatic facilities for the disposal of dredged material. Current federal law only permits the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to be used to provide the federal share of the costs of dredging federal navigation channels, but there is no provision for sharing the costs of disposal on land or in confined aquatic facilities, such as a containment island. The proposed federal legislation would be beneficial to the northern New Jersey and New York port area which suffers from an accumulation of dredged materials in its rivers and harbor some of which requires special treatment or disposal because of the presence of containments. The proposed federal legislation would permit the federal government to share in the cost of both ocean and land-based disposal facilities, thereby facilitating the disposal of the dredged material and alleviating a serious problem which affects oceanic commerce to the port area.
Urges support for proposed federal legislation to provide for cost-sharing for land-based and ocean-based dredged material disposal facilities.