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A New Jersey Republican has proposed legislation to change the Delaware Bay to “The Bay of New Jersey,” appearing to be inspired by President Donald Trump’s executive order changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
The measure, introduced Thursday by GOP state Sen. Michael Testa, would order state agencies to use “The Bay of New Jersey” in publications, signage, websites and materials to reflect the new designation and notify relevant federal entities, NJ.com reported.
“I look at the robust fishing industry – commercial fishing industry and recreational industry of the State of New Jersey,” he told the outlet. “I think that the fact that we have to call the bay that we fish in the Delaware Bay – they’ve had a claim to that long enough.”
Testa represents Cape May County, which the bay borders.
“It’s time to Make New Jersey Great Again!” Testa wrote on X.
The bay is a vital body of water for New Jersey tourism, commerce and travel that has had the name of its southern neighbor since 1610, according to the Delaware government’s website, and was named after the third baron de la Warr, Thomas West, who governed the Virginia colony.
The proposed legislation comes after Trump signed an order in January renaming the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The body of water has shared borders between the U.S. and Mexico, and Trump’s order only carries authority within the U.S.
Last month, U.S. House Republicans passed the Gulf of America Act, marking the first step in codifying Trump’s order in the U.S. The legislation is now awaiting consideration in the Senate.
Trump’s order also prompted Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, to jokingly suggest amending the Long Island Sound to the “Connecticut Sound.”
“While the maps are changing, here’s an idea,” Lamont posted on X in February, tagging New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul with an altered map with the sound renamed.
Another bill Testa introduced this week seeks to reclaim a slice of land along Salem County’s shore claimed by Delaware in a decades-old border agreement with New Jersey, according to NJ.com.
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