Bill Barlow

NORTHFIELD — U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, will push to enact a stable federal funding source for beach replenishment, he told a meeting of beach town mayors in his office Tuesday.

“There is a state dedicated source that comes from the realty transfer tax. It’s been there for years. I know, I’ve defended it when I was in the state Senate,” Van Drew said after the meeting. “This would be a permanent funding source that would be completely different.”

The meeting took place behind closed doors, with representatives of shore communities from Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties and beyond crowded into the district office. The 2nd District is New Jersey’s largest, and represents a significant portion of the state's ocean coastline.

The gathering comes during a year in which

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