Van Drew to lead tour of eroded beaches

South Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew will be joined Friday by high-level government officials and local mayors for a tour of storm-damaged beaches in Cape May County.

Van Drew, who represents shore towns in Atlantic and Cape May counties and part of Ocean County, is taking the tour after introducing legislation this week to create a permanent source of federal funding for beach replenishment projects nationwide.

Among those who will join Van Drew is Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army Civil Works Adam Telle, who oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that manages beach replenishment projects.

Telle is expected to evaluate the extent of beach erosion at the Jersey Shore following a year of significant damage from a series of hurricanes and nor'easters.

In addition to beach erosion, the storms have also damaged the dunes, the vast barrier of sand that serves as the first line of defense for homes, businesses and other oceanfront property.

A number of shore towns have declared local emergencies due to the severity of the damage, hoping to unlock federal and state funding for projects to restore the beaches and dunes.

During the tour, Van Drew, Telle and local mayors will discuss options for beach replenishment along with long-term solutions to protect the coast. Stops will include the beaches of Ocean City, Strathmere, Avalon and North Wildwood, according to Van Drew’s office.

Representatives of the North Atlantic Division and Philadelphia District offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will also be on the tour.

Van Drew, Telle and local mayors are also expected to meet with the media to discuss beach replenishment options.

    Congressman Jeff Van Drew has introduced legislation to provide permanent and reliable federal funding for beach replenishment projects.
  

On Tuesday, Van Drew, a Republican, announced that he and New York Democratic Congresswoman Laura Gillen had introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish a reliable, permanent source of federal funding for beach replenishment projects nationwide.

The proposed legislation comes amid growing concerns that federal funding would not be available in the future for beach replenishment projects, dune protection, bulkheads, seawalls and jetties at the Jersey Shore and other coastal areas.

“My bipartisan Coastal Trust Fund Act sets up a permanent and reliable funding stream for coastal storm risk management projects like beach nourishment,” Van Drew said in a statement Tuesday announcing the legislation.

Click here to read the text of the Coastal Trust Fund Act.

Van Drew characterized the funding legislation as “a big deal, not just for New Jersey, but for the whole country.”

He explained that the Coastal Trust Fund Act would establish a $1 billion source of funding each year for beach replenishment projects by using revenue from existing offshore energy leases – avoiding the need for new taxes or fees to pay for it.

He said the bill was developed through months of collaboration with top coastal experts in the country and represents “one of the most serious efforts in history to protect the coastlines of the United States.”

Federal funding for beach replenishment projects at the Jersey Shore became a hot topic following extensive damage to the shoreline caused by Hurricane Erin last August and other storms that followed. Coastal mayors have repeatedly stressed the importance of healthy beaches for the summer tourism season.

    The beaches are a centerpiece of Cape May County's tourism industry.
  

Ocean City is one of the coastal towns waiting for full-fledged beach replenishment projects by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers if federal funding can be found.

Following beach damage inflicted by a powerful storm in October, City Council declared a local state of emergency in Ocean City in hopes of securing state and federal funding to replenish the beaches and dunes from First to 13th streets as soon as possible.

Parts of Atlantic City, Ocean City, Strathmere, North Wildwood, Avalon, Holgate and Beach Haven have suffered significant beach and dune damage in the past year, according to surveys conducted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

As funding concerns grew, Van Drew met with the mayors and other representatives of local shore towns to assure them that he was working on legislation to provide a permanent source of federal money for beach replenishment.