BILL TO KEEP OPEN-SPACE PRESERVATION PROGRAM RUNNING CLEARS ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE

(TRENTON) - New Jersey voters would have the opportunity this November to approve a $200 million plan to preserve open space through 2010 under legislation released today by the Assembly Budget Committee.

Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-Essex), the chairman of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, is sponsoring the legislation, which cleared the budget panel in a 12 to 0 vote.  Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr. (D-Camden) has scheduled the measure for an Assembly floor vote on Thursday.

The bill (A-4402) would authorize a statewide referendum to be placed on this year's General Election ballots to determine if the state should replenish the Garden State Preservation Trust program with state-issued general obligation bonds.

"New Jersey, the nation's most densely populated state, is running out of time to protect diminishing tracts of open space," said McKeon.  "New Jersey is losing 50 acres a day to development; passage of this land preservation referendum is critically important."

Entitled the "Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007," the measure would ask voters to authorize $200 million in bonds for the acquisition and development of open space.  The program preserves land for recreation and conservation, historic sites, farmlands, and the purchasing of flood-prone properties from residents who voluntarily choose to sell because of the frequent threat of flood or storm damage.

"The GSPT is recognized as the largest land preservation program of its kind in the nation," said McKeon (D-Essex).  "We have a responsibility to ensure the continued success of this far-reaching program that protects valuable open space areas like urban parks, farmlands, historic sites, and flood-prone neighborhoods."

The measure would expand the state's existing GSPT program to support significant environmental needs including:

Blue Acres:  A program that would allow homeowners to voluntarily sell their property frequently damaged by flooding to the state for preservation;

Operation & maintenance:  Direct local governments to implement operation and maintenance program that would improve public access to state and local parks and other open space areas preserved under the GSPT program;

Administration:  Provide funding to ensure that programs have sustainable funding that would not be hampered by the potential of future budget shortfalls.

The measure would allocate $109 million for farmland preservation, $12 million for a new "Blue Acre" bond program to protect flood-prone areas along the Delaware River, Passaic River and Raritan River basin floodways, and $6 million for historic preservation purposes.

"More than ever, there is a demonstrated need for Blue Acres funding," said McKeon.  "The recent nor-easter left many communities devastated and clearly demonstrated that every region of the state is vulnerable to the threat of flooding."

The GSPT was established to provide the state, local governments, and non-profits with the funding support to acquire and protect parks, open space, farmland, and historic sites.  The GSPT program has preserved over 292,650 acres of land across New Jersey since the program began in 1998.  The Green Acres portion of the program dates back even further, to the 1960s.

If the GSPT is left unfunded, counties, municipalities and non-profits would loose an estimated 65 percent of vital funding from the state.

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