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Sea Bright, NJ --- Today, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement through his District Director, Shawn Brennan, at the release of the annual State of the Shore Report.
"I apologize for being unable to attend this important event, but I must be in Washington today to vote in Congress. I would like to recognize the hard work of Dr. Weinstein and Dr. Herrington in preparing the State of the Shore Report, and I would like to commend Secretary Bauer, Secretary Kuperus, and Commissioner Jackson for coming to show the state's commitment to our beaches.
"New Jersey's beaches are a national treasure and a vital source of income and pride for the state. Tourism is a $22 billion industry here and provides over 10 percent of the state's jobs. Many of these jobs, however, depend on clean and healthy beaches. The fight to preserve and replenish New Jersey's beaches has and will continue to be a long and hard one. Here in Monmouth County, beach replenishment started over 50 years ago, continues as we speak, and will still be necessary in the future. Periodic renourishment is also an ongoing obligation.
"As many know, the 18 miles of beach that have been replenished from here in Sea Bright to Manasquan was recently named as one of the top restored beaches in America by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association. It is also the largest restored beach in the Nation and shows the success of these projects on the Jersey Shore.
"Overall, America's coastal areas produce 85 percent of all of the country's tourism dollars, fueling a huge economic engine that is largely dependent on clean and healthy beaches to succeed. Unfortunately, we continue to face serious obstacles from the Bush administration, which has no interest in funding beach replenishment projects or protecting this economic engine.
"In an ongoing attempt to end the federal government's participation in beach replenishment, the President once again proposed cutting federal shore protection programs. This year again he refused to commit any funds to shore protection projects in New Jersey. This will make it difficult to secure the funds needed to protect our coastline, and again I will be working in Congress to secure critical funding for beach replenishment along the Monmouth County coast.
"We were in this same situation last year, but I was able to secure $3 million to help the area that needs the sand the most -- in Long Branch between Takanasee Lake to just south of Pier Village. Because the current carries sand north after the replenishment process, beaches here in Sea Bright and those in Monmouth Beach will also benefit from the renourishment in Long Branch.
"I hope next year we can have even greater success and that we can return to say, once again, that the State of our Shores is good." |
