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Long Branch – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced the introduction of a bill that strengthens the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act ahead of the start of the beach tourism season. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) original BEACH Act program protects the public’s health by setting water quality criteria for coastal recreational areas and providing states with grants to test water quality and notify the public when conditions are unsafe. Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced New Jersey would receive a $300,000 grant to implement beach monitoring and notification programs pursuant to the BEACH Act.
As an original author of the BEACH Act, Pallone has been a longtime champion of water quality monitoring. The new bipartisan bill will reauthorize the program and give states more options with grants. The bill requires EPA to consider innovations in rapid testing to help states report the results to the public more quickly. It also allows states to use grants to find sources of contamination and work to clean up the source of the health threat.
“New Jerseyans and visitors are ready to flock to the Jersey Shore this weekend, so I’m proud to introduce legislation that will help protect public health and give beachgoers the peace of mind they deserve,” Pallone said. “New Jersey’s beaches are a treasure, and this bill will help make sure they remain clean and safe. This bill will improve our current water quality monitoring system and will give states and communities greater flexibility to use grants in a way that best addresses local conditions.”
“As an advocate for coastal protection for over 25 years, the Jersey Shore Partnership is thrilled to support the reauthorization of the BEACH Act to keep our ocean and beaches safe, clean and beautiful,” said Grace Hanlon, Executive Director of the Jersey Shore Partnership. “As we kick off the summer tourism season, there is no better time to talk about the need to continue to protect our water, shore, and vulnerable coastal areas. We thank Congressman Pallone for securing funding for the BEACH Act and for his dedication to ensuring our Jersey Shore remains a national treasure.”
“ASBPA is proud to support reauthorization of the BEACH Act,” said Annie Mercer, Blue Flag Program Coordinator for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association. “I applaud Representative Pallone for prioritizing this national policy to empower coastal communities’ with information needed to elevate water quality at their beaches.”
“By providing guidance and funding to all coastal states to help run their beach water quality monitoring and public notification programs, the BEACH Act is important in protecting the health of people who enjoy recreating at our beaches and safeguarding our country’s thriving coastal recreation and tourism economies worth over $150 billion nationwide,” said John Weber, Mid Atlantic Regional Manager with the Surfrider Foundation.
Beach tourism generates over $40 billion each year in New Jersey and supports over 330,000 jobs.
