NJDEP: LOCAL TOWNS TO DETERMINE BEACH ACCESS

Some new rules are coming in the state of New Jersey that will largely give local communities the power to determine beach access.  New NJDEP Commissioner Bob Martin has rolled out some new rules this week that will eliminate what he calls costly mandates that were set forth by the NJDEP in recent years.  Avalon won a court challenge to the state’s public access regulations during the Jon Corzine administration.  Martin believes that local towns know how to regulate access better than state officials.  Some environmental groups are highly critical of the move, saying this will restrict access to New Jersey’s waterways.