NJ Members Issue Letter to EPA, Army Corps Requesting Explanation of how Debris Reached Beaches

Press Release

NJ MEMBERS ISSUE LETTER TO EPA, ARMY CORPS REQUESTING EXPLANATION OF HOW DEBRIS REACHED BEACHES

Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) today issued a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agencies responsible for protecting the New Jersey coastline, to determine what went wrong this past Labor Day weekend when trash and other debris washed ashore in Ocean County and forced several beaches to close.

Several beaches along the Jersey Shore were closed during part of the busy holiday weekend because of the trash that washed ashore. The source of the waste -- which beachgoers said included syringes, tampon applicators and gauze -- was not immediately known.

"Too many Labor Day holidays were cut short when garbage washed ashore and forced authorities to close our beaches," said Sen. Lautenberg. "Beachgoers are supposed to be protected from these slicks by a coordinated effort of surveillance and response from state and federal agencies. We need to know what went wrong so we can keep our beaches open and prevent this from happening again."

"The thousands of vacationers who were disappointed by closed beaches over the holiday weekend know firsthand that the plan to keep the shore clean must be solidified," said Sen. Menendez. "It's priority for our state's environment, for our state's economy and for all of us who love the Jersey Shore."

"Since 1989, we have worked to improve beach quality along the Jersey Shore with the Floatables Action Plan," Rep. Pallone said. "Along the way, EPA made changes to address problems that arose. After the garbage wash-up in Ocean County over the Labor Day Weekend, it's clear that EPA needs to once again investigate what went wrong so that we can continue to strengthen this program to protect beachgoers in the future."

"It is like any plumbing system. When it works, you take it for granted, but when it breaks, watch out. The NJ/NY Estuary Floatable Action Plan is a national model, when it works. The failures that caused this slick to escape into the ocean must be determined and corrected. Not only does this garbage pollute beaches, it is harmful to marine life. We applaud the leadership and action of US Senator Lautenberg, US Senator Menendez and US Representative Pallone to track down the cracks in the program, so they can be fixed," said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action.

The Floatables Action Plan was developed in 1989 in response to the massive garbage slicks and beach closures that took place the previous two summers. Numerous agencies coordinate efforts to carry out this plan, which works to prevent garbage from washing ashore by conducting aerial surveillance for slicks in the New York/New Jersey Harbor. These agencies are charged with cleaning up slicks as quickly as possible.

The agencies, including the EPA, are responsible for conducting aerial surveillance to search for floating debris. If and when debris is located, these agencies are supposed to notify the US Army Corps of Engineers, which then sends skimmer vessels to the area for clean-up.

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