Last week, Saxton teamed up with Jeff Benoit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and officials from the Coast Alliance on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building to release the report. The report finds that New Jersey and other states could be doing much more to control the leading threat to the coasts, and that polluted runoff also known as nonpoint source pollution could be considerably reduced if Congress simply designates funding for states to do so. Thousands of sources of runoff including farms, forestry practices, over-fertilization, combined sewer overflow, fluids from older cars and general development, cause pollution that makes coastal waters unsafe for fishing, swimming and drinking. The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program, enacted by Congress in 1990, is predicated on federal funding for states to control polluted runoff. Twenty-nine of the 35 coastal states and territories are developing plans to address runoff, including three states, Maryland, Rhode Island and California, whose plans are approved and ready for enactment.
Uncontrolled runoff is a clear and present danger to that economy.
The main way to address this danger is through targeted funding to control polluted runoff. Saxton announced at the press conference that he is working on a bill to implement federal funding for efforts to reduce non-point source pollution across the country. The report includes an in-depth analysis of progress and gives grades for five states, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Maine, California, and New Jersey. Succinct summaries of all the other state programs are included as well. The analysis identifies innovative approaches to solving runoff problems as well as obstacles encountered by states in doing so.