North Wildwood Subpoenas State Officials Over Scrapped Beach Replenishment Project, Alleging Negligence and Lack of Willpower.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is facing a lawsuit from North Wildwood after the state agency suspended a $54 million beach replenishment project that aimed to mitigate severe erosion on the coastal town's beaches. The lawsuit claims that NJDEP leaders failed "catastrophically" to resolve months of tension over the project, which was set to be led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
According to Mayor Patrick Rosenello, the state agency's inaction stems from a lack of political will and bureaucratic negligence. The project, which had been in the works since 2017, aimed to transfer sand from Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach to create protective dunes along Five Mile Island. However, local leaders pushed back against the plan, arguing that it would shrink their beaches and negatively impact tourism.
NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette stated in a letter that the agency regretted the lack of cooperation from local communities but stood ready to assist them if alternative measures materialized. The Army Corps suspended the project due to a perceived lack of support and cooperation, with LaTourette cautioning that using offshore sand sources to fortify beaches may be more expensive and uncertain.
North Wildwood has a history of disputes with NJDEP, having once been fined $12 million for undertaking emergency beach restoration projects without state authorization. The two sides reached a settlement last year dropping the fines and resolving an earlier lawsuit seeking $30 million in reimbursement for past replenishment costs.
The city is now seeking to compel NJDEP to fulfill its obligations under state law, claiming that the state is also liable for the lost funding of the project. In a statement, Rosenello said that only through the courts can North Wildwood extract the justice and protection denied by NJDEP leaders.
Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera disputed this claim, stating that his town never withdrew from the project and had proposed revisions to ensure the plan better aligned with their community's needs for beach enjoyment and environmental priorities.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is facing a lawsuit from North Wildwood after the state agency suspended a $54 million beach replenishment project that aimed to mitigate severe erosion on the coastal town's beaches. The lawsuit claims that NJDEP leaders failed "catastrophically" to resolve months of tension over the project, which was set to be led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
According to Mayor Patrick Rosenello, the state agency's inaction stems from a lack of political will and bureaucratic negligence. The project, which had been in the works since 2017, aimed to transfer sand from Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach to create protective dunes along Five Mile Island. However, local leaders pushed back against the plan, arguing that it would shrink their beaches and negatively impact tourism.
NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette stated in a letter that the agency regretted the lack of cooperation from local communities but stood ready to assist them if alternative measures materialized. The Army Corps suspended the project due to a perceived lack of support and cooperation, with LaTourette cautioning that using offshore sand sources to fortify beaches may be more expensive and uncertain.
North Wildwood has a history of disputes with NJDEP, having once been fined $12 million for undertaking emergency beach restoration projects without state authorization. The two sides reached a settlement last year dropping the fines and resolving an earlier lawsuit seeking $30 million in reimbursement for past replenishment costs.
The city is now seeking to compel NJDEP to fulfill its obligations under state law, claiming that the state is also liable for the lost funding of the project. In a statement, Rosenello said that only through the courts can North Wildwood extract the justice and protection denied by NJDEP leaders.
Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera disputed this claim, stating that his town never withdrew from the project and had proposed revisions to ensure the plan better aligned with their community's needs for beach enjoyment and environmental priorities.
Can't believe state officials can't even get a beach project done right... 54 million bucks gone down the drain because of bureaucracy 
...anyway, i'm gonna be keeping an eye on this one 
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the whole thing just doesn't add up. first of all $54 million is a huge amount of money for a project that was supposed to help save some beaches, but it seems like njdep is more worried about local communities not being on board 
. and now north wildwood is suing them for negligence and lack of willpower 
. i get that local leaders had concerns, but can't they have worked out a compromise? it's just too bad the army corps stepped in and suspended the project... meanwhile these beach towns are stuck with no money and no plan 
.
like why is sand so important for beaches?