SENATE, No. 1391

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Sponsored by:

Senator  JOSEPH PENNACCHIO

District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

     Dedicates $500,000 annually from the General Fund to NJ Greenwood Lake Fund.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

An Actdedicating revenues from the General Fund to the New Jersey Greenwood Lake Fund, and supplementing P.L.1999, c.402 (C.32:20A-1 et seq.).

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.    Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately nine miles long, straddling the border of New York and New Jersey. It is located in West Milford, New Jersey (in Passaic County) and Greenwood Lake, New York (in Orange County).

     Greenwood Lake feeds North Jersey's major source of drinking water, the Monksville and Wanaque Reservoir, and supplies drinking water to 3.5 million residents and thousands of businesses on a daily basis.

     Additionally, Greenwood Lake is a popular destination for outdoor activities, such as fishing, water skiing, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, boating, and other water activities, and hiking in the surrounding parks.

     2.    a.  The "New Jersey Greenwood Lake Fund" is established as a nonlapsing, revolving fund in the Department of Environmental Protection.  The fund shall be administered by the department, and shall be annually credited with $500,000 from the General Fund, and with any interest or other investment income earned on monies in the fund.  Moneys in the fund shall be used solely for the protection, preservation, maintenance, management, or enhancement of the New Jersey side of Greenwood Lake.

     b.    Moneys appropriated to the fund may be utilized without matching funds from substantially similar legislation by the State of New York if used solely for the protection, preservation, maintenance, management, or enhancement of the New Jersey side of Greenwood Lake. 

     c.     When joint funding is required by the Greenwood Lake Commission, pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1999, c. 402 (C.32:20A-3 et seq.), the State of New York is not required to provide moneys from a similar source as the State of New Jersey.

     3.    This act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.

STATEMENT

     This bill establishes the "New Jersey Greenwood Lake Fund" as a nonlapsing, revolving fund in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The fund is administered by the DEP and credited annually with $500,000 from the New Jersey State General Fund. The moneys are to be used by the Greenwood Lake Commission for the protection, preservation, restoration, maintenance, management, and enhancement of the lake.

     Under the bill, moneys in the fund could be used without matching funds from the State of New York if the moneys are used solely for the protection, preservation, maintenance, management, or enhancement of the New Jersey side of Greenwood Lake. In addition, when joint funding is required by the Greenwood Lake Commission, the State of New York would not be required to provide moneys from a similar source as the State of New Jersey.