This bill would prohibit use of motor vehicles on beaches within officially-designated critical erosion hazard zones unless the cognizant municipality or agency in that area makes an official certification that vehicular beach access is consistent with protecting the health and safety of surrounding property owners and the public and that vehicular activity does not cause short- or long-term harm to the environmental and ecological integrity of the area.  This bill passed the Assembly in the last legislative session; it was also introduced into the Senate, but it was not passed in that house.   Councilor Danielson stated that he has been told that the bill will be re-filed in the 2006 legislative session.  The Senate sponsor of the legislation, Mr. Fuschillo, has apparently said that he will not move forward with the bill in 2006 in its present language.  Councilor Danielson referred to a handout introduced earlier by Mr. Young wherein information was presented to the effect that there is no scientific evidence to substantiate claims that driving on beaches is harmful and causes erosion.  Councilor Freierman believes that beach vehicular access is a local issue that should and is being handled effectively by the individual towns and municipalities or agencies involved.  The Council directed Chairman Wise to write a letter to the sponsors of this proposal (Mr. Brodsky in the Assembly and Mr. Fushillo in the Senate), and to the current Chairmen of the Environmental Conservation Committees in each house, stating the Council’s view that this bill is unnecessary and rests on a scientifically unfounded premise and recommending that the bill should be dropped and that the matter of regulating vehicular access to the beaches of the state should be left to the existing authorities charged with this responsibility.

 

Page last modified Tuesday, November 8, 2005 by George E. Carroll