Shore bill would incentivize Barnegat Bay-front home owners to scrap grass lawns

If you live near Barnegat Bay...and if your home has a lawn...and if you're concerned about the effect of substances that help your lawn but hurt the Bay...would $250 a year be incentive enough for you to swap the grass for something different?

A bill in the state Legislature sponsored by Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Dave Wolfe and Greg McGuckin (R-10) would offer an annual $250 state income tax credit to home owners living within 1,000 feet of the Bay, who change grass lawns into stone, crushed shells or other non-vegetation materials.

The measure, as the lawmakers see it, would go a long way to help Barnegat Bay's long-term survival odds.

"Throughout the year the Barnegat Bay is enjoyed by local residents and tourists especially during the summer months when the bay sees an increase of boaters and bathers," Holzapfel said in prepared comments. "The pollution in the bay is detrimental to our state's economic, aesthetic and recreational value."

Moreover, the bill provides "...incentives to property owners to reduce the amount of lawn fertilizer and other chemical agents used in landscaping that flow into the Barnegat Bay," Wolfe added.

"It is believed that excess nitrogen from fertilizers is the main cause of the degradation of the bay's waters and ecosystems," McGuckin added. "We must preserve the bay to keep it clean for future generations to enjoy."

The versions are in the hands of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee and the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee.