Last fall, our television sets were bursting with ads touting the work our local legislators do for the environment and our open space. Don’t be fooled. For years, town councils have fought bad developments that would gobble up New Jersey’s open space and pollute our drinking water, as legislators have consistently sat by. Now the Legislature, which promoted its green credentials during election season, is trying to undo the good work carried out in our towns and our state to protect our open space and water. With a strong nudge from developers, legislators are rushing to short-circuit environmental progress over the last two years and extend developer permits. And — the worst part — they’re trying to do it before the public finds out. That’s where you come in. Legislature should represent you, not developers. In order to represent you, legislators need to hear from you in person and be reminded that the public will hold them accountable. New Jersey needs you! Take the day off from work. Bring your family. Invite your friends. Whatever you do, come to Trenton to lobby your legislator in person and attend a mass press conference. Take a stand! Show your legislators what matters to you: http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/action/preservation/rsvp?id4=ES What’s at stake? The Permit Extension Act negates past protections adopted after 2006, like no-development buffer zones around state waterways and new protections against flooding. The effort would give up to seven years to extend projects until the eve of 2013 (and even up to 2015 in some cases), without regard to new environmental protections in the years ahead. The bill is speeding through the Legislature right now and scheduled to pass in the next two weeks. Let’s pull the brakes the developers’ dream bill by taking a stand in Trenton to show the Legislature that the public matters and will hold them accountable. Let Legislators know the public matters! For more details on this breaking news, visit our Web site. Sincerely, Dena Mottola Environment New Jersey Executive Director DenaM@EnvironmentNewJersey.org http://www.environmentnewjersey.org P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.

Avidly supported by business and labor, legislation to extend for six years the life of building permits for stalled residential and commercial development projects yesterday began what is expected to be a 17-day express run through the Assembly and Senate.

The bipartisan proposal was unanimously approved by the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee before a standing-room-only audience of more than 100 business, development and labor leaders and lobbyists, who insist the permit extension is needed to bolster New Jersey’s economy, and environmentalists, who argue it will endanger public health, clean water and open space.

Called the Permit Extension Act, the proposal would extend for six years all permits and approvals given to developers — even those that have expired — by the state and local governments. It would enable projects permitted in past years but stalled for financial reasons to avoid having to comply with subsequent changes in environmental law, public health standards, building codes or local zon ing.

The Assembly version (A2867) moves to the lower house’s Environmental and Solid Waste Committee. The goal of the sponsors of the measure and its twin version in the Senate (S1919), according to legislative aides, is to move the bill into position for approval by both houses by June 23. The Assembly bill has 43 co-sponsors, enough votes to guarantee passage. The Senate version has 15 co-sponsors, including Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex).

Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club of New Jersey, and an outspo ken opponent of the proposal, described the hearing to Housing and Local Government Committee members as a “lovefest” for developers.

Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), a prime sponsor of the bill, said it was introduced at the urging of business and labor leaders and developers who see business leaving the state, jobs lost, and new construction and financing stalled amid the economic downturn.

“Seventy thousand New Jerseyans have relocated to other states and along with them is going business,” he said. “The state of New Jersey will not grow out of its problems and revenues are not going to grow.”

Kathleen Miller-Prunty, director of Cranford Downtown Management, a group attempting to restore life to the town’s business district, appeared on behalf of the Smart Growth Economic Development Coalition, which she described as a statewide alliance of business, industry and urban renewal organizations formed last year to help find solutions to the state’s economic problems. Miller- Prunty said two earlier permit extension efforts, in 1992 and 1996, helped stabilize construction projects and created jobs.

The New Jersey Environmental Lobby, the Audubon Society, and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation joined the Sierra Club in opposing the bill.

Tom Hester may be reached at thester@starledger.com or at 609-292-0557.

Hi Brian,

Thank you to the more than 1,000 people who told the state Assembly to stand up to the developers’ dream bill that would extend building permits for up to seven years.

The environmental progress we have worked so hard to win is in danger. Positive steps protecting New Jersey’s open spaces and water over the last two years would be as if they never happened. New protections occurring over the next five years to ensure New Jersey keeps its status as the Garden State won’t apply.

No wonder developers have been intent on cozying up with Legislators on this bill as they aspire to protect their own interests above those of New Jersey’s environment. Just yesterday, an Assembly committee ignored public outcry and unanimously passed the developers’ dream bill.

Send an e-mail to your Senator to tell them to stop these environmental rollbacks and end the developers’ dreams.

It will roll back protections that Environment New Jersey and our members fought to win to protect our state’s waterways and allow developers to ignore environmental protections passed in the next five years. It would give new life to developments that have been defeated in the past, like Eagle Ridge in Passaic County, a 280+ home project above the largest reservoir in the state, the Wanaque.

The effort would give up to seven years to extend projects until the eve of 2013, regardless of what strong environmental protections occur in the next five years. The bill even negates past protections adopted after 2006, including some that Environment New Jersey fought hard to win, like no-development buffer zones around state waterways to reduce flooding.

Unfortunately, the bill is still gaining traction, with 15 Senators caving to the developers, and signing on.

Tell your Senator to oppose this legislation right now!

HELP US STOP THE DEVELOPERS’ DREAM BILL!

For more details on this breaking news, visit our Web site.

Sincerely,

Dena Mottola
Environment New Jersey Executive Director
DenaM@EnvironmentNewJersey.org
http://www.environmentnewjersey.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.

Hi Brian,
Thanks to the more than 1,500 people who raised their voices to keep all of our state parks open and the more than 50 people who sent us their personal stories about their state park memories, we’ve come a long way since the governor’s announcement on April Fool’s Day.

Now, with Memorial Day just past, it is time for the governor to level with us — and let us know if his plans will make sure we can continue to camp and swim in our state parks this summer.

I am proud of the strong response of people like you; we’ve generated over 7,000 e-mails to our elected leaders, and shown that the public can fight back.

But we’re not there yet. The DEP is still exploring all of the options on how to make our state parks “self-supporting.” And just ahead of us is a big fight to get permanent dedicated funding for open space preservation — an issue Gov. Corzine has consistently ducked.

We know we can win this fight for our parks and campgrounds — and eventually for our other open spaces, but it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to take hard work — and money, to keep the fire burning, and really put pressure on our elected leaders to solve our current state parks and open space crisis.

Can you chip in with $35, $50, $75 or more?

https://www.environmentnewjersey.org/action/preservation/donate-today?id4=ES

I’ve really been blown away by how many of you are passionate about standing up for our environmental treasures across the state. We created quite the buzz around this issue, and we’ve come too far to stop now.

Keeping all of our state parks — and our campgrounds and swimming areas — open would be a great victory, but ensuring permanent open space funding for generations to come — now that would put the icing on the cake. Please chip in whatever you can afford:

https://www.environmentnewjersey.org/action/preservation/donate-today?id4=ES

And as we’ve fought Gov. Corzine to keep all state parks open, we’ve also reminded state leaders that the stop-gap funding for open space preservation is dwindling.

These are big challenges for the environment, and we need public support and financial resources to continue these fights for our parks and open space.

Can you chip in $35 or more to help us win on these campaigns and help fund the work of Environment New Jersey?

https://www.environmentnewjersey.org/action/preservation/donate-today?id4=ES

More than ever, we need your help to protect our parks. Please send this along to as many of your friends as possible.

Sincerely,

Dena Mottola
Environment New Jersey Executive Director
DenaM@EnvironmentNewJersey.org
http://www.environmentnewjersey.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.

Sen. Robert Smith (D-Middlesex) thinks New Jerseyans love open space so much that they’ll pay an annual $32 water tax to buy more. It would be good for the state if he is right.

Smith’s proposal, for which he has introduced legislation, is sound. A modest charge per household, with a levy also imposed on businesses, would provide a stable stream of about $150 million or so annually, an amount sufficient to continue the popular programs that preserve farmland and open space. The money that has done the job until now, from a portion of the sales tax and from bond issues, will run out in about a year.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) and other critics say voters don’t want new taxes. Kean says the economy is too weak and food, gas and other expenses are rising.

Perhaps. But Smith’s plan has several things going for it that could buck the anti-tax tide.

First, voters would get the final say. Smith wants the tax funds to be constitutionally dedicated for open space, which would re quire approval at the polls. The public can decide if open space is important enough to be worth the 62 cents a week it would cost the average household. It’s a worthy approach, not “assaulting” the public with higher taxes, as Kean puts it.

Also, Smith says the legislation should require that open space money go directly for land purchases and related costs. Strictly dedicating the funds is sensible because state debt is already too high. Future lawmakers and governors should be prevented from diverting the money for other government expenses.

Meanwhile, businesses that use large amounts of water would not face ruin. Smith’s proposal sets a $50,000 maximum charge for any water user.

New Jerseyans have long supported open space measures on the state, county and local levels, even in tough times.

Last fall the voters approved a $200 million open space bond issue to keep land preservation efforts going for a year despite the flagging economy. The measure was approved even as residents turned thumbs down on an initiative to jump-start stem cell research in the state.

The Senate Environment Committee will consider a resolution today to put the constitutional dedication of a water tax on the ballot this fall. Committee members should pass it so state voters can decide for themselves whether New Jersey should continue its aggressive efforts to keep open space open.

Clean Water Testimony

Hi Brian,
Thank you to the over 1,200 of you who wrote to their legislators last week urging that ALL of our state parks stay open.

It’s been a good week in Trenton for the state budget. An unexpected surplus from tax returns means some of the most controversial budget cuts will be scaled back.

And for the first time, Gov. Corzine said that state parks won’t be closed. But he didn’t say that all the things we expect at state parks — like swimming and campgrounds — will be open.

With Memorial Day just around the corner, it’s a little late for these kind of details. And the governor says parks funding will be restored after the DEP develops a plan to make them “self supporting.”

Sounds like the Governor still doesn’t get it. Our state parks are the places we go to get away from it all, especially during the summer. And especially because we can camp under the stars and go swimming.

So please send us your state park story of using campgrounds or swimming areas — and we’ll deliver it right to the front steps of the State House and the DEP. Click here to send us your story:

http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/action/preservation/stateparkstories?id4=ES

More than ever, we need your help to protect our parks. Please send this along to as many of your friends as possible.

As always, for more details on this campaign, visit our website.

Sincerely,

Dena Mottola
Environment New Jersey Executive Director
DenaM@EnvironmentNewJersey.org
http://www.environmentnewjersey.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family and friends.