Untitled Document
What's New
Governor Jon Corzine cannot afford to ignore the rampant pace of over-development across the state. NJPIRG is advocating that Gov. Corzine urge the Department of Environmental Protection to revise and officially propose the much-delayed protections for critical habitat lands across the state. The rules have received tremendous opposition from developers who don’t want to see any hurdles to building across the state. NJPIRG is also urging Gov. Corzine to replenish rapidly dwindling Green Acres open space funding which is predicted to run out of money as early as 2007.
Background
To the tune of 50 acres a day, New Jersey is losing the green places in our towns that provide wildlife habitat, stop run-off pollution from flowing into our waterways and put the Garden in Garden State. Rutgers University predicts that the state will reach full “build-out” – the day we’ll run out of land – in 30 years. One of the state’s biggest developers – Bob Toll of Toll Brothers – thinks that will it will occur even faster – in the next 15 years.
What's the result of that
freedom? The developers build without a regard to what places should and shouldn't
be developed, and at unsustainable rates. As a result, NJ has lost a lot of
its natural beauty and far too much of its open space. Today, 40 percent of
the state's land area is developed making NJ the most densely developed state
in the nation and even more densely populated that India and Japan!
Every year, developers and
builders destroy another 18,000 acres of open space—that's a land area two times
the size of Jersey City, one of the state's largest cities. At that rate, according
to Rutgers University, in 40 years the entire state will be as developed as
Hudson County.
Outdoor recreation and green
spaces are a critical part of life in New Jersey, but we are at risk of losing
that because of developers.
News Releases
Governor Urged To Propose Open
Space Protections for Critical Habitat 8/4/04
Governor Urged To 'Fast Track' Open Space
Protections, Not More Development 7/29/04
Groups Demand Safeguards
to Protect the Environment Under 'Fast Track' Permit Bill 7/28/04
Fast Track Bill Is Wrong For New Jersey: New Law Gives Developers and Builders
Big Advantage in Race for Open Space 7/12/04
Enviro,
Urban, Housing and Labor Advocates Call on Governor to Veto Pollution Promise
6/29/04
Enviros,
Labor, Urban and Housing Advocates Gather To Stop Steamroll of 'Fast Track'
Express 6/16/04
Local Officials, NJPIRG and NJ Audubon Urge Statewide Anti-Sprawl Protections
To Protect Water & Habitat 5/26/04
Local
Officials, NJPIRG and NJ Audubon Urge Statewide Anti-Sprawl Protections for
Somerset, Middlesex Co. 5/25/04
Local Officials,
NJPIRG and NJ Audubon Urge Statewide Anti-Sprawl Protections 5/19/04
Assembly
Enviro Chairman, NJPIRG and NJ Audubon Urge Statewide Anti-Sprawl Protections
5/18/04
Testimony
Letter
to Mayors by Douglas O'Malley, NJPIRG Advocate 8/5/04
NJPIRG's
Critical Habitat Rule Mayoral Letter to Governor McGreevey 8/04
Testimony
of NJPIRG's Dena Mottola in opposition to the Fast Track bill, S1368
6/14/04
Fact Sheet
15 Reasons Why The
Fast-Track Bill Should Be Vetoed By the Governor
Outline for Threatened and Endangered
Species Habitat Protection Rules
