a. There should be a single State agency for New Jersey’s maritime industry charged with advancing Statewide maritime development initiatives and technologies, planning for maritime systems, enhancing New Jersey’s marine environment, fostering maritime education, and providing overall support functions to the maritime industry in close coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission, and other State agencies.

b. New Jersey’s maritime industry is a $50 billion industry supporting more than 300,000 New Jersey citizens. The industry is located along 127 miles of New Jersey shoreline, on 116 State navigation channels, 240 miles of navigable waterways in New York Harbor, and along 106 miles of the Delaware River and Bay. Throughout the State, warehousing, manufacturing and cargo handling facilities service the commerce taking place along these water highways, and the intermodal connections which service them support local, national and international port commerce. The industry includes boat-building companies, members of the marine trades’ associations, marinas, the commercial and recreational fishing industry, science, technology, and educational and related services. It also includes those industries that support waterborne military operations and national security initiatives.

c. The infrastructure required to support New Jersey’s commercial and recreational maritime industry is collectively designated as New Jersey’s Marine Transportation System. It is a comprehensive system which includes navigable channels, waterborne commerce, dredging and dredged material management technologies, berth, terminal and related structures, intermodal transportation facilities and corridors, shipping, receiving and cargo-movement tracking systems, global positioning systems, vessel traffic and port information systems, physical oceanographic real-time systems, and geographical information systems. Navigation aides, boat building technologies, ocean habitat tracking systems and other new technologies interact to create a seamless system linking all aspects of the maritime industry into a single transportation matrix. The Marine Transportation System provides economic value, State and national security support, environmental protection and recreational opportunity for the State, the region and the nation.

d. Water transportation systems are a desirable, necessary and environmentally beneficial means of moving people and goods and such systems will promote the development and redevelopment of the State’s urban centers. It is further declared that in a densely settled state such as New Jersey, it should be a priority of the Department of Transportation to promote the development of water transportation systems and to provide, as necessary for the public safety and welfare, for the coordination and facilitation of water transportation systems.

L.2001,c.429,s.2.