Appropriates $26,140,000 for dredging projects and dredged material disposal projects related to navigational waterways.
Summary
Assembly Bill 2782 appropriates $26,140,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection for dredging-related work. Of that amount, $22,140,000 is directed to specific dredging projects and dredged-material disposal or stabilization projects on named navigational waterways across several counties, including channels, creeks, harbors, lagoons, and a federal/state intracoastal waterway study. The remaining $4,000,000 is reserved for dredging waterways of navigational importance that are used for recreational and residential boating but have not been officially designated as navigational waterways.
The bill is structured as a targeted capital-style appropriation for waterway maintenance and access. It identifies a list of priority projects and authorizes the DEP to use any unspent funds for other navigational channel dredging elsewhere in the state. The measure takes effect immediately, indicating an intent to move funding quickly to projects that may be delayed or backlogged.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would increase state spending and direct the Department of Environmental Protection to fund dredging, dredged material disposal, and related site stabilization work for a wide range of waterways. It would support maintenance of boating channels, improve navigability, and address sediment buildup in coastal and inland waterways, especially in shore and bay communities. The bill would not amend substantive regulatory standards, but it would expand the state’s appropriations for waterway maintenance and could accelerate projects that have been unfunded under prior bond-financed programs.
Sentiment
The bill’s stated purpose and structure suggest generally favorable sentiment toward maintaining navigable waterways and supporting boating access, particularly in coastal and residential communities. The statement emphasizes that many projects outside the New York/New Jersey port region have gone unfunded for years and that the situation has become critical, which frames the bill as a needed response to deferred maintenance. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no recorded debate or formal vote sentiment in the supplied materials.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be funding priority rather than the need for dredging itself. The statement notes that some projects could not be funded from the 1996 bond act because remaining money was committed to the Delaware River deepening project, implying competition among major dredging needs for limited state resources. Another possible issue is the breadth of the appropriation, which spreads funds across many local projects and includes waterways not officially designated as navigational waterways, though the bill justifies those projects based on recreational and residential boating importance.