New Jersey § 13:19-2

§ 13:19-2.

The Legislature finds and declares that New Jersey's bays, harbors, sounds, wetlands,

inlets, the tidal portions of fresh, saline or partially saline streams and tributaries

and their adjoining upland fastland drainage area nets, channels, estuaries, barrier

beaches, near shore waters and intertidal areas together constitute an exceptional,

unique, irreplaceable and delicately balanced physical, chemical and biologically

acting and interacting natural environmental resource called the coastal area, that

certain portions of the coastal area are now suffering serious adverse environmental

effects resulting from existing development activity impacts that would preclude or tend to preclude those multiple uses which

support diversity and are in the best long-term, social, economic, aesthetic and recreational

interests of all people of the State; and that, therefore, it is in the interest

of the people of the State that all of the coastal area should be dedicated to those

kinds of land uses which promote the public health, safety and welfare, protect public

and private property, and are reasonably consistent and compatible with the natural

laws governing the physical, chemical and biological environment of the coastal area. It is further declared that the coastal area and the State will suffer continuing

and ever-accelerating serious adverse economic, social and aesthetic effects unless

the State assists, in accordance with the provisions of this act, in the assessment

of impacts, stemming from the future location and kinds of developments within the coastal area, on the delicately balanced environment of that area. The Legislature further recognizes the legitimate economic aspirations of the inhabitants

of the coastal area and wishes to encourage the development of compatible land uses

in order to improve the overall economic position of the inhabitants of that area

within the framework of a comprehensive environmental design strategy which preserves

the most ecologically sensitive and fragile area from inappropriate development and

provides adequate environmental safeguards for the construction of any developments in the coastal area.