10. The commissioner shall review filed applications, including any environmental impact statement and all information presented at public hearings or during the comment period, or submitted during the application review period. A permit may be issued pursuant to this act only upon a finding that the proposed development:

a. Conforms with all applicable air, water and radiation emission and effluent standards and all applicable water quality criteria and air quality standards.

b. Prevents air emissions and water effluents in excess of the existing dilution, assimilative, and recovery capacities of the air and water environments at the site and within the surrounding region.

c. Provides for the collection and disposal of litter, recyclable material and solid waste in such a manner as to minimize adverse environmental effects and the threat to the public health, safety, and welfare.

d. Would result in minimal feasible impairment of the regenerative capacity of water aquifers or other ground or surface water supplies.

e. Would cause minimal feasible interference with the natural functioning of plant, animal, fish, and human life processes at the site and within the surrounding region.

f. Is located or constructed so as to neither endanger human life or property nor otherwise impair the public health, safety, and welfare.

g. Would result in minimal practicable degradation of unique or irreplaceable land types, historical or archeological areas, and existing public scenic attributes at the site and within the surrounding region.

h. Provides, pursuant to standards established by rule or regulation adopted pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.), on-site public access to the waterfront and adjacent shoreline, or off-site public access to the waterfront and adjacent shoreline if on-site public access is not feasible as determined by the department. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to abrogate or otherwise affect any public access obligations or requirements of any permit, administrative order, consent decree, or court order in effect prior to the effective date of P.L.2015, c.260.

L.1973, c.185, s.10; amended 1993, c.190, s.11; 2015, c.260, s.2.