Highlands Protection Act Area Announced

NJ Governor McGreevey recently released a map of core preservation areas for the controversial proposed NJ Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act.

In late 2003, the Governor established the Highlands Task Force, which was charged with providing recommendations on how best to advance conservation efforts, smart growth, regional planning and water resource protections in the Highlands region. The Highlands includes important watershed lands in a seven-county region that supplies recreational opportunities and drinking water to half the state, and is being developed at a rapid rate. After six months of research by Rutgers University, the U.S. Forest Service, the Task Force and State agencies, and several public meetings and surveys, the Task Force released a set of recommendations to safeguard the Highlands’ diverse natural resources. Under the proposal, a state regional planning council would be created and empowered to review large-scale construction proposals in a "core" Highlands region of approximately 350,000 acres. The 15-member Highlands council and its staff would spend 18 months preparing a regional master plan for the Highlands. The region includes both state- and privately-owned land. The amount of privately owned, undeveloped land in the core area increased from earlier estimates, to 145,000 acres. The increase in privately owned land in the core area was due to requests from municipal elected officials for inclusion of important environmental lands in their towns. Much of the protected area includes steep slopes, wetlands or pristine streams. Opponents of the bill claim the act would result in higher property taxes and limit rebuilding options for homeowners.  The Assembly and Senate environment committees have scheduled a vote for May 10, and McGreevey has vowed that the bill will pass by July 1. It would have an immediate impact on development.

Press release: http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/governor/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=1802

Website: http://www.savethehighlands.org/

Map: http://www.senatorbobsmith.org/preserving_the_highlands/map/