Policy Committee

Members of the Policy Committee represent key decision makers and signatory authorities to the BBP and include representatives from the Regional Administrator of the US EPA, Region 2; the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders; Ocean County College; the Ocean County Mayor’s Association; and a citizen representative.

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The Policy Committee’s responsibilities include:

  • Approve annual budget and work plan;
  • Develop new action items or policy initiatives that develop during program implementation;
  • Ensure commitment among implementing authorities for action item implementation and scheduling;
  • Assist in securing long-term funding commitments;
  • Promote the BBP to a statewide and nationwide audience; and
  • Mediate issues of disagreement among BBP participants.

Committee Members

Hon. William W. Curtis
 Ocean County Mayor’s Association, President
Lisa Garcia
 USEPA, Region 2, Regional Administrator (Policy Committee Co-Chair)
Dr. Javier E. Laureano
 USEPA, Region 2, Director, Clean Water Division (Alternate)
George Murnyak BBP Citizen Representative
Dr. Pamela Monaco Ocean County College, President
Shawn M. LaTourette NJDEP, Commissioner (Policy Committee Co-Chair)
Hon. Joseph H. Vicari Ocean County Board of Commissioners, Commissioner Liaison
Dr. L. Stanton Hales, Jr. Co-Chair, Advisory Committee (ex officio)
Karen Greene Co-Chair, Advisory Committee (ex officio)
Gregg Sakowicz
 Chair, Science and Technical Advisory Committee (ex officio)
Kaitlin Gannon Chair, Communication and Education Committee (ex officio)
Joel Mott
 Co-Chair, Communication and Education Committee (Alternate, ex officio)

Committee Documents

Policy Committee Meeting Minutes

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    UNKNOWN

    There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

     

     Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

     Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


    IN PROGRESS

    New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

    The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

     

    TARGETS ACHIEVED

    No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

     

    NOT ACHIEVING

    Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

    While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

    Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.