WHEREAS, the
State of New Jersey borders many navigable waters of the United
States, which contain valuable fisheries, wildlife and other natural
resources and provide for the effective movement of commerce into
and through the State; and
WHEREAS, in
the past those navigable waters and their valuable natural resources
have been damaged by oil spills; and
WHEREAS, the
federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 codified at 33 U.S.C.A. 2701 et
seq. (Oil Pollution Act) established a means of compensating those
parties damaged by oil spills in the navigable waters of the United
States by creating a complementary scheme of federal, state and
international laws; and
WHEREAS, the
prompt and effective cleanup of oil spill incidents and the restoration
of damaged natural resources is of vital importance and requires
close cooperation between the State and other state and federal
agencies; and
WHEREAS, the
Oil Pollution Act specifically requires that the Governor of each
State designate a State official who may act on behalf of the public
as its trustee for natural resources; and
WHEREAS, the
Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
acts in a similar capacity under the federal Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and a variety
of State laws and is thus the appropriate State official to serve
as New Jersey's Natural Resource Trustee under the Oil Pollution
Act;
NOW, THEREFORE,
I, CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, Governor of the State of New Jersey,
by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
The Commissioner
of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is hereby
designated ex-officio as the State's Natural Resource Trustee for
the purposes outlined in Section 2706 (b)(3) of the Oil Pollution
Act.
GIVEN,
under my hand and seal
this day of in the Year of Our Lord,
One Thousand Nine Hundred and
Ninety-Four and of the Independence
of the United States, the Two Hundred
and Eighteenth.
/s/
Christine Todd Whitman
GOVERNOR
Attest:
/s/ Peter
Verniero
Chief Counsel to the Governor
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