New Jersey § 58:29-2

§ 58:29-2.

The Legislature finds and declares that, on November 5, 1996, the voters overwhelmingly

approved an amendment to the New Jersey Constitution dedicating the equivalent of

4 percent of the revenues annually generated by the Corporation Business Tax for financing

the costs of hazardous discharge site remediation, upgrading hazardous underground

storage tanks, and water quality point and nonpoint source pollution monitoring, watershed-based

water resource planning and management, and nonpoint source pollution prevention projects;

and that, of the 4 percent dedicated for these purposes, a minimum of one-sixth, or

a minimum of $5,000,000, whichever is less, is annually dedicated for the purposes

of water quality point and nonpoint source pollution monitoring, watershed-based water

resource planning and management and nonpoint source pollution prevention projects. The Legislature further finds and declares that the Department of Environmental Protection

currently administers the State's water quality planning, monitoring, permitting and

enforcement programs; that the department has recently begun to change its long-standing,

permit-based approach to water resource protection and water pollution control to

that of a watershed-based planning approach; that such an approach would greatly

increase the overall efficiency and precision with which pollution control measures

could be applied; and that the federal Clean Water Act establishes policy guidelines

requiring states to clean up polluted waters and protect waters that meet water quality

standards. The Legislature further finds and declares that the Fiscal Year 1997 funding levels

must be increased in future years to enable the department to meet the requirements

of the federal Clean Water Act; and that the constitutionally dedicated and appropriated

additional monies, when used to fund a watershed-based approach to water resource

management and pollution control, will greatly assist the State in protecting waters

that meet water quality standards and in attaining and complying with federal water

quality standards. The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the public interest and consistent

with the intent of Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6, subparagraph (a) of the New Jersey Constitution to provide statutory guidance to the department for the use of the dedicated monies;

that the dedicated monies should be used to support an expansion of department efforts

in the area of water resource management; and that the State should adopt a watershed-based

approach to most effectively and efficiently comply with federal guidelines.