New debate over protecting New Jersey’s open space
OCTOBER 26, 2014, 11:53 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014, 11:53 PM
BY SCOTT FALLON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The future of New Jersey’s open space program will be decided on Election Day, when voters consider amending the state constitution to provide a continuous source of revenue for a popular program that has gone broke.
If approved, tens of millions of dollars from the state Corporation Business Tax will be shifted from existing environmental programs to ones that acquire open space, upgrade playgrounds and historical sites, preserve farmland, and buy out flood-prone homes.
The ballot question comes as the 53-year-old Green Acres program is without a source of money, having used the last of a $400 million bond approved by voters in 2009. The measure has bipartisan support from legislators and backing from many environmental groups that have been trying for decades to secure a source of financing that is more stable than bond issues, which require voter approval every few years.
“We can go from a point where there is no money left for these programs to one where they have a long-term, steady source just like that,” said Tom Gilbert, chairman of NJ Keep It Green, a coalition of more than 180 environmental groups. “Here’s a chance to dedicate existing funds for something that New Jerseyans constantly say is important to their quality of life.”
But the method to obtain millions for open space has drawn opposition from Governor Christie and the conservative anti-tax group Americans for Prosperity, who say it is fiscally irresponsible to use the state constitution to finance government instead of the traditional budgetary process. Even some environmentalists oppose it because it takes money away from programs that remove underground storage tanks, turn old toxic sites into usable land, and monitor water for pollution.
“I’d rather do nothing than do the wrong thing,” said Scott Olson, a Byram Township councilman who publishes an environmental blog and has long supported open-space acquisitions. “This is just robbing Peter to pay Paul because you’re going to end up with fewer people to do inspections, fewer enforcers and important programs that are now watered down.”
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