Bill Text: NJ A5064 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Watershed Council in DEP.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee [A5064 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A5064-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Watershed Council in DEP.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a Watershed Council in the Department of Environmental Protection and supplementing Title 58 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established a Watershed Council in the Department of Environmental Protection. The purpose of the council shall be to analyze flooding and other environmental issues affecting the State's watersheds. The council shall assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the department's Watershed and Land Management programs for planning, permitting, mitigation, and restoration of impacts to New Jersey's watersheds, analyze the programs' effectiveness in preserving plant and animal life, protecting residents from flooding risks, managing stormwater runoff, preserving and enhancing water quality, and make recommendations.
b. The council shall consist of 21 members to be appointed by the Governor in consultation with The Watershed Institute and other state-wide and regional watershed and environmental groups, no later than 60 days after the effective date of this act. Each of the members shall represent the watershed management area in which the member resides, thereby representing each of the 21 watershed management areas in the State. The members appointed pursuant to this act shall have, to the maximum extent practicable, expertise, knowledge, or experience in environmental issues, flood matters, or land use.
c. Each member shall serve for a term of three years, except that, of the members first appointed, seven shall be appointed for a one-year term, seven shall be appointed for a two year term, and seven shall be appointed for a three year term. Vacancies on the council shall be filled for the unexpired terms in the same manner as original appointments. Members of the council shall be eligible for reappointment to the council.
d. The council shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of a majority of its members and shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from among its members. The council shall meet, at the call of the chairperson, on at least a quarterly basis thereafter. A majority of the voting members of the council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of council business.
e. The Department of Environmental Protection shall provide primary staff support to the council.
f. Within 12 months of the council's organizational meeting, and at least annually thereafter, the council shall prepare and submit a written report to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Governor, and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, summarizing its work in the prior year, which report may include recommendations for legislative or regulatory action, to improve, promote, and protect the health and well-being of the State's residents, and to improve and increase the preservation of water quality, and plant and animal life.
g. The council shall be entitled to the assistance and service of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, authority, or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.
h. Members of the council shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the council, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the council for its purposes.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a Watershed Council within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The purpose of the council is to analyze flooding and other environmental issues affecting the State's watersheds. The council is directed to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the DEP's programs for planning, permitting, mitigation, and restoration of impacts to New Jersey's watersheds, analyze the programs' effectiveness in preserving plant and animal life, protecting residents for flooding risks, preserving and enhancing water quality, and managing stormwater runoff, and make recommendations. Under the bill, the council is to consist of 21 members, each member representing one of the State's watershed management areas, with expertise in environmental issues, flooding, or land use. The Governor, in consultation with the Watershed Institute and other state-wide environmental groups, is required to appoint each of the members for a term of three years, with the exception of the initial members who are to have staggered terms. Within 12 months of the council's organizational meeting, and annually thereafter, the council is required to prepare and submit a report to the DEP commissioner, the Governor, and the Legislature with recommendations for legislative or regulatory action, to improve, promote, and protect the health and well-being of the State's residents, and to improve and increase the preservation of water quality, and plant and animal life.
