A delegation of officials from several county towns will be traveling to Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 14, to press the case for more federal funding for beach replenishment projects.
The representatives are from towns that are members of the American Coastal Coalition. They will squeeze six meetings into a seven-hour day as they discuss the need for funds with the Army Corps of Engineers, top staff of the House and Senate appropriations committees, and members of the New Jersey congressional delegation.
In 2025 federal dollars for beach replenishment projects were taken out of the budget. In December, the American Coastal Coalition called the 2026 budget’s allocation for beach repair and replenishment a “massive shortfall.”
According to Dan Ginolfi, executive director of the coalition, officials from Avalon, Stone Harbor, Upper Township and Cape May will be part of the delegation in Washington. Sea Isle, North Wildwood and Ocean City, also members of the coalition, have not yet confirmed attendance.
The coalition, Ginolfi says, is urging the Army Corps to allocate as much added funding from other accounts toward beach replenishment as is needed to make up part of the 2026 shortfall.
The delegation will also press Congress and the committees' professional staffs to increase the budget for beach replenishment in the fiscal year 2027 budget. They will ask for high priority for replenishment earmarks in appropriation bills.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 40% of the U.S. population lives in the 10% of land that forms the American coastline.
The beach replenishment work of the Army Corps, funded largely with federal dollars, is a necessary protection of lives and property, the shore communities argue. They have pointed out many times that protecting against storm damage is significantly cheaper than dealing with the expense of damage afterward.
Avalon Business Administrator Scott Wahl, who will make the trip to D.C., spoke of the “common goal” among local, state and federal organizations, a commitment to “resiliency and economic stability.”
Wahl said he is anxious to engage in the talks in Washington since “collaboration on this nonpartisan issue will advance mutual interests.”
Read the full story here: https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/news/county-delegation-headed-to-washington-seeking-sand-funds-536ef62f