By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor
After many months of negotiations with business organizations resulting in agreed-to changes to state law that would guarantee greater public access to beaches and waterfronts, environmental groups believed that their goal was on track to final success.
But on Thursday, in the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee where they had expected to see the bill released for a final legislative floor vote, a surprise amendment hit like a hammerhead shark.
Out of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, with the blessing of the bill’s Senate sponsor Bob Smith, came a set of proposed amendments that the green side fear could undo all the progress that they had made.
They want the bill moved without change
No vote was taken on Thursday but organizations like the NJ Littoral Society, Sierra Club, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Hackensack Riverkeeper, NJ Surfriders Foundation and the NJ League of Conservation Voters were shaken and expressed their disappointment and alarm.
They urged that the bill, S1074, be released without the DEP amendments, in the same form that had cleared the Senate 36-4 last June. The committee allowed testimony on Thursday but held off a vote on the measure for its next meeting.
Supporting the DEP amendments
Not everyone who testified was opposed to the DEP amendments. Former NJDEP official Ray Cantor, recently appointed as Government Affairs VP for the NJ Business and Industry Association, said that, without the amendments, small-scale projects like private bulkhead repairs would require full public-access permit reviews. He said that the bill’s one-size-fits-all approach is not practical. Attorney Paul Schneider, testifying for the NJ Builders Association, agreed, as did the NJ League of Municipalities. The latter group would like the state to give more weight on public water access to local governments.
Big business not unified on public access
Not joining their fellow big business friends in advocating for the DEP amendments were the State Chamber of Commerce, Chemistry Council of NJ, NJ Petroleum Council, and the state’s maritime and utility associations. Speaking for that bloc, the Chamber’s Michael Egenton said they all had signed on to the original bill in appreciation for an exemption granted by sponsor Senator Smith to facilities with national security concerns, like refineries and nuclear power stations.
What’s next? Stay tuned. If you are not subscribed to this free blog, Click to receive free updates
For more, read Tom Johnson’s NJ Spotlight post:
Amendments to beach-access bill run afoul of conservationist
Related news:
Beach access bills before NJ Assembly environment panel
Group sues New Jersey town over public beach access
New Jersey beach access bill advances; hard decisions remain
