B
bach2yoga
Guest
Press of Atlantic City, February 22, 2004
Yo, guv!
State Sen. William Gormley has a knack for getting in people's faces,
literally and figuratively. His recent letter to Gov. James E.
McGreevey is a classic of that genre. In essence, it is a big "Yo!" -
an attempt to get the governor's attention on an important issue in
southern New Jersey.
The governor would be wise to listen, even if he disagrees some of
Gormley's points.
Gormley drew a picture of the state giving big bucks to wealthy,
politically powerful Highlands landowners in the north in order to
preserve their pristine forest land. In contrast, he portrayed the
poor, southern, Pinelands folk as getting the short end of the twig 25
years ago - heavy-handed government regulation that virtually stole
their land via the Pinelands Preservation Act.
Ah, this battle again...But north-south rhetoric aside, Gormley's
letter raises a valid point and a startlingly apt comparison.
The Pinelands/Highlands scenarios are nearly identical: A huge area
of pristine forest and wetlands overlying precious, vast underground
water resources, all threatened by development. A public resource that
must be preserved.
The state is planning to spend as much as $1 billion buying land to
preserve the Highlands, which spreads across seven northern counties.
Meanwhile, 25 years earlier, it preserved the Pinelands relatively on
the cheap - primarily with regulations that rendered some land almost
useless. And it threw other communities into a crisis of traffic
congestion, soaring property taxes and overcrowded schools.
In fairness, the state says it has spent $145 million on land
acquisition in the Pinelands during the past 25 years - and that's not
a small amount. But problems remain. In some high-growth areas, they
are worsening.
The governor's preservation plan for the Highlands is still in the
early stages. McGreevey deserves praise, not criticism, for the
initiative - the Highlands is in need of bold steps to protect it, and
quickly. Moreover, preserving land by buying it is always better and
more effective public policy than regulation alone.
But the taxpayers' pockets are only so deep. While the governor is
plumbing them for this worthy new initiative, he should try to come up
with some money - and more commitment - to solve some of the remaining
problems left by a similar bold initiative 25 years ago.
Vast amounts of the Pinelands have been successfully preserved. But
the cost has been great, especially in growth areas. And - despite a
questionable, brief building moratorium and a lot of talk - the state
has done little to ease that pain.
McGreevey should move forward with the Highlands plan. But the state
should do more than just learn from the mistakes made in a similar
effort 25 years ago. It should focus more effort on helping to correct
them.
Yo, guv!
State Sen. William Gormley has a knack for getting in people's faces,
literally and figuratively. His recent letter to Gov. James E.
McGreevey is a classic of that genre. In essence, it is a big "Yo!" -
an attempt to get the governor's attention on an important issue in
southern New Jersey.
The governor would be wise to listen, even if he disagrees some of
Gormley's points.
Gormley drew a picture of the state giving big bucks to wealthy,
politically powerful Highlands landowners in the north in order to
preserve their pristine forest land. In contrast, he portrayed the
poor, southern, Pinelands folk as getting the short end of the twig 25
years ago - heavy-handed government regulation that virtually stole
their land via the Pinelands Preservation Act.
Ah, this battle again...But north-south rhetoric aside, Gormley's
letter raises a valid point and a startlingly apt comparison.
The Pinelands/Highlands scenarios are nearly identical: A huge area
of pristine forest and wetlands overlying precious, vast underground
water resources, all threatened by development. A public resource that
must be preserved.
The state is planning to spend as much as $1 billion buying land to
preserve the Highlands, which spreads across seven northern counties.
Meanwhile, 25 years earlier, it preserved the Pinelands relatively on
the cheap - primarily with regulations that rendered some land almost
useless. And it threw other communities into a crisis of traffic
congestion, soaring property taxes and overcrowded schools.
In fairness, the state says it has spent $145 million on land
acquisition in the Pinelands during the past 25 years - and that's not
a small amount. But problems remain. In some high-growth areas, they
are worsening.
The governor's preservation plan for the Highlands is still in the
early stages. McGreevey deserves praise, not criticism, for the
initiative - the Highlands is in need of bold steps to protect it, and
quickly. Moreover, preserving land by buying it is always better and
more effective public policy than regulation alone.
But the taxpayers' pockets are only so deep. While the governor is
plumbing them for this worthy new initiative, he should try to come up
with some money - and more commitment - to solve some of the remaining
problems left by a similar bold initiative 25 years ago.
Vast amounts of the Pinelands have been successfully preserved. But
the cost has been great, especially in growth areas. And - despite a
questionable, brief building moratorium and a lot of talk - the state
has done little to ease that pain.
McGreevey should move forward with the Highlands plan. But the state
should do more than just learn from the mistakes made in a similar
effort 25 years ago. It should focus more effort on helping to correct
them.