WHEREAS, the
lakes of the State of New Jersey are an important water resource
of the State; and
WHEREAS, these
lakes provide substantial benefits to the residents of the State
and to its visitors, including many recreational opportunities,
such as boating, fishing, and swimming; and
WHEREAS, these
lakes provide an important element of open space and essential habitat
to diverse species of plants and animals, and also serve as an essential
source of surface water for numerous potable water systems; and
WHEREAS, a
large number of these lakes are exhibiting indications of stresses
to water quality, including sedimentation, excess growth of nuisance
and exotic plant and algal species, and other symptoms of eutrophication;
and
WHEREAS, federal
grant funds provided since the late 1970s through the Environmental
Protection Agency's Clean Lakes program for public lake restoration
projects are no longer available; and
WHEREAS, the
State has obligated all of the $5 million for public lake restoration
projects authorized by the 1996 "Port of New Jersey Revitalization,
Dredging, Environmental Cleanup and Lake Restoration and Delaware
Bay Economic Development Bond Act"; and
WHEREAS, maintaining
our investment in lakes will require the continued financial commitment
of the State and its private, not for profit, federal and local
government partners; and
WHEREAS, it
is prudent at this time to identify strategies to restore and properly
manage the State's lakes, including fiscally responsible strategies
for financing this work;
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:
1. There
is established in, but not of, the Department of Environmental
Protection a Lake Restoration and Management Advisory Task Force
("Task Force").
2. The Task
Force shall consist of fifteen (15) members as follows:
(a) The
Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or a designee, shall
serve ex-officio;
(b) The
State Treasurer, or a designee, shall serve ex-officio;
(c) The
Commissioner of Community Affairs, or a designee, shall serve
ex-officio;
(d) The
Executive Director of the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure
Trust, or a designee, shall serve ex-officio;
(e) Seven
(7) public members who have expertise in public finance and
water resource management shall be directly appointed by the
Governor for terms of one year;
(f) Four
(4) members of the Legislature shall be appointed as follows:
two (2) members, one from each political party, shall be appointed
by the President of the Senate to serve during the two-year
legislative session in which the appointment is made, and two
(2) members, one from each political party, shall be appointed
by the Speaker of the General Assembly to serve during the two-year
legislative session in which the appointment is made.
3. The Task
Force shall organize and meet as soon as practicable after the
appointment of a majority of its members. The Governor shall appoint
a Chairperson and Vice- Chairperson. Each member shall hold office
for the term of appointment and until his or her successor is
appointed and qualified. A member appointed to fill a vacancy
occurring on the Task Force for any reason other than the expiration
of the term shall have a term of appointment for the unexpired
term only. A member may be appointed for any number of consecutive
terms. The members shall serve without compensation, but shall
be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance
of their duties as members.
4. The Task
Force shall examine the causes of lake eutrophication, the types
of measures necessary to restore and properly manage lakes, and
ways to finance such work. Specifically, the Task Force shall:
(a) summarize
readily available information on the number, location, ownership
and condition of lakes in the State, the common causes of degradation
in their condition, and the types of remedial measures necessary
to restore and properly manage such lakes;
(b) estimate
the costs to assess, restore and manage lakes;
(c) identify
existing sources of funding that may be applied to these costs;
and
(d) make
recommendations regarding ways to finance the restoration of
lakes, including the appropriate role of federal, State and
local government, and private and not-for- profit entities.
5. The Task
Force is authorized to call upon any department, office or agency
of State government to provide such information, resources or
other assistance deemed necessary to discharge its responsibilities
under this Order. Each department, office or agency of the State
is hereby directed, to the extent not inconsistent with law and
within budgetary constraints, to cooperate with the Task Force
to furnish it with such information, personnel and assistance
as is necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Order.
6. The Task
Force shall present a report to the Governor, the President of
the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly, setting forth
its findings, conclusions and recommendations no later than one
year from the date of its organizational meeting; provided, however,
for good cause, the Chairperson may allow for a reasonable extension
of the one-year time period.
7. This
Order shall take effect immediately.
GIVEN,
under my hand and seal,
this 27th day of June in the Year
of Our Lord, Two Thousand and
of the Independence of the United
States, the Two Hundred and
Twenty-Fourth.
/s/
Christine Todd Whitman
Governor
[seal]
Attest:
/s/ Robert
E. Fabricant
Chief Counsel to the Governor
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