|
Pinelands Preservation Alliance Releases Second Annual State Of The Pinelands Report
NEW JERSEY - There is growing public concern that, while most of the Pinelands' forests, streams and wetlands are surviving the pressures of sprawl, government agencies are not doing enough to save the Pine Barrens over the long term by controlling development and its impacts. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) shares these concerns as they reflect on the 29th anniversary of the signing of the Pinelands Protection Act on June 28, with the release of its second annual State of the Pinelands report.
The report focuses on the state of Pinelands preservation and how specific actions of government agencies have either helped or harmed the Pinelands during the past 12 months. The report rates the actions of government agencies that include the governor, the Pinelands Commission, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey State Legislature, federal agencies, local government and other governmental agencies. Since the fate of the Pinelands rests primarily with decision by government, the public needs a way to hold these agencies accountable for their performance through a comprehensive annual report. PPA believes there is real cause both for optimism and concern in the actions of government agencies responsible for safeguarding the Pinelands.
"It is our perception that the Pinelands Commission as a whole is not sending a clear and unambiguous conservation message, either to the public or to the commission's own staff," stated Carleton Montgomery, executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. Montgomery went on to say, "We hope that in the coming year that message will become clearer and stronger through words and deeds."
Governor Corzine has recently shown his interest in the Pinelands through two reappointments and two new appointments to the commission, all of which the PPA supports.
Some very good initiatives came about this year. For example, the Pinelands Commission adopted needed amendments to its rules on issues like the abandonment of old non-conforming uses and locating new recycling facilities, helped Ancora Psychiatric Hospital solve its longstanding wastewater disposal problems and put a stop to the use of sewage sludge to fertilize a turf farm in Atlantic County. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection gave the most protective C1 designation to Toms River and its tributaries and has embarked on new strategies through the Forest Fire Service to minimize the threat of forest fires by using innovative techniques that are more sensitive to the Pinelands ecosystem and at the same time, reduces the risks of wildfires.
There are also several key initiatives that the Pinelands Commission has not brought to completion. These include the implementation of new forestry regulations, proposed by its own Forestry Advisory Committee, and implementation of the Southern Medford-Evesham Conservation Plan that was completed two and a half years ago. In addition, the Pinelands Commission has been unable to move forward with reforms to the Pinelands Development Credit program and new clustering rules for development in the forest and rural development areas.
The most troubling action that PPA witnessed this past year by the Pinelands Commission was its approval of a Buena Vista Township ordinance that would allow for the lowering of water quality in violation of normal Pinelands standards. The ordinance allows businesses in Richland Village to expand on properties that are already too small to meet the commission's water quality standards for septic systems. "The Pinelands Preservation Alliance is disappointed that the commission would deliberately waive its bedrock water quality standards for a number of businesses in an area where residents use wells for their drinking water," said Richard Bizub, director for water programs. The commission also chose not to act on recommendations in its own White Paper on Preserving Ambient Water Quality - Policy Implications of Pinelands Commission Research Projects, even though the report was issued in January of 2006.
This year, PPA once again reports that important water supply planning initiatives started years ago by the Department of Environmental Protection have gone nowhere. This is unfortunate since they either directly or indirectly affect the Pinelands. Since the shallow groundwater aquifer provides approximately 90 percent of flow to streams and rivers in the Pinelands, how we use this aquifer has a direct bearing on the aquatic environment and associated wetlands. These stalled initiatives include revisions to the Statewide Water Supply Plan, updating the water allocation rules and implementation of recommendations in the report prepared as a result of Governor McGreevy's Executive Order (EO-32) in response to the drought of 2002.
"We hope that this second State of the Pinelands report will both inform and provoke all with the good intentions of protecting the Pinelands for this and future generations," concluded Rich Bizub. The complete report is available at www.pinelandsalliance. org and can be faxed upon request.
| 
