Sponsored by:
Senator DIANE B. ALLEN
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DEP to conduct vibration analysis along routes for disposal of dredged material from Delaware River.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring the study of the transportation of dredged material from the Delaware River.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall conduct a study of the vibrations caused by vehicles traveling along routes used for transporting material dredged from the Delaware River. The study shall include an analysis of the effects of such vibrations upon residential and commercial buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. The department shall also analyze the financial impacts of transporting material dredged from the Delaware River, including any potential financial loss to businesses or impact on liability insurance.
b. Within 18 months after the date of enactment of this act, the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall prepare and submit to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a written report on the vibration study, which shall include recommendations concerning the transportation of dredged material. The report shall also include a summary and analysis of any similar or related vibration studies conducted by the federal government, other state or local governments, or private entities. The department shall further report on the financial impacts of transporting material dredged from the Delaware River, and make recommendations if appropriate.
c. The department shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, authority, board, bureau, commission, agency, or entity, or of Rutgers, The State University, or any other public institution of higher education in the State, as it may require and as may be available to it for the purpose of carrying out its duties under this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in consultation with the Department of Transportation, to study the vibrations caused by vehicles traveling along routes used for transporting material dredged from the Delaware River. The study would include an analysis of the effects of such vibrations upon residential and commercial buildings, roads, and other infrastructure.
Within 18 months after the date of enactment of this bill into law, the DEP would prepare and submit a written report to the Legislature on the study. The DEP would also make recommendations concerning the transportation of such materials and include a summary and analysis of any similar or related studies conducted by the federal government, other state or local governments, or private entities.
The bill also requires the DEP to analyze the financial impacts of transporting material dredged from the Delaware River, including any potential financial loss to businesses or impact on liability insurance, and make recommendations thereon, if appropriate.
Under this bill, the DEP would be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, authority, board, bureau, commission, agency, or entity, or of Rutgers, The State University, or any other public institution of higher education in the State, as may be required to conduct the study and analysis.