Friday, February 15, 2013
For owners of homes not substantially damaged by the storm, waiting for final flood maps and flood insurance rates could help in making decision
With a flood map still in flux and flood insurance premium increases still not set, property owners may have too little information to make an informed decision on whether to rebuild their homes at a higher elevation, according to state officials and local insurance agents. Record flooding from Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29 caused billions of dollars worth of damage to the coastlines of New Jersey and New York, and in the aftermath of the storm, many owners are wondering if they will be required to elevate their homes. This much is known: Emergency rules adopted by New Jersey on Jan. 24 require new and substantially reconstructed (where the cost of restoration equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the …
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…
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
DEP holds public hearing in Long Branch
A large group of citizens and groups gathered at Long Branch City Hall on Wednesday night to criticize the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) proposed public access rules and amendments for beaches, bays and other waterways. The DEP held the meeting to hear public comments on the public access rules and the amendments which were drafted after hearing feedback from the public in the past. According to the DEP, the proposed amendments will: Most spoke against the rules and the amendments stating that while the amendments were a step in the right direction, that they will not help create more public access areas for residents and that it they will give too much power to municipalities. The rules, if adopted, would give towns …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Several groups plan to protest the DEP's plans for beach access
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is holding a public hearing on Wednesday night in Long Branch to discuss proposed amendments to public access rules for beaches, bays and other waterways. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Long Branch Council Chambers, at Long Branch City Hall, 344 Broadway. "Wednesday’s hearings will focus only on amendments to the Public Access rule that the DEP proposed earlier this year in response to public comments on the initial public access rule proposal," a DEP release states. According to the DEP, the proposed amendments will: DEP states that the public access rule will "improve and enhance public access to New Jersey’s beaches, bays and waterways through plans to be developed and …
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 …
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Proposed changes to be discussed
The Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled three public forums on their proposed changes to beach access rules. The first of these public meetings will be held Thursday, May 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Jersey City at the Liberty State Park Central Railroad Terminal Building's Blue Comet Auditorium. Additional hearings will be held on Tuesday, May 17 at 11 a.m. at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in the Townsend Residential Life Center and on Monday, May 23 at 1 p.m. in the Seaside Heights Municipal Court room. The rule changes proposed by the DEP under Commissioner Bob Martin and Governor Chris Christie have drawn the ire of a number of access, advocacy and environmental groups who fear changes to access rules …
Friday, February 11, 2011
Township officials look to build a gas-fired power plant
Lacey Township has its eyes fixed on building a gas-fired power plant behind Oyster Creek Generating Station, Committeeman Dave Most said. But a bill signed by Gov. Chris Christie may hinder its plans. The bill, signed on Jan. 28, would help finance the establishment of gas-fired power plants in the state, allowing a generating capacity of up to 2,000 megawatts. Applications for energy providers to build gas-fired plants were originally due Feb. 4, when the bill was initially passed by state legislators, but the date was changed to Feb. 14 when the Board of Public Utilities met last week, Greg Reinert, Director of Communications at the Board of Public Utilities said. According to Mayor Gary Quinn, the new gas-fired power plants would …
Resident of Lacey
9:19 pm on Saturday, February 16, 2013
I feel like the bug that just realized it is flying straight toward the windshield of a moving car. Why can we not just remove ALL the red tape the monkey in our Whitehouse said we could? more ›