SMITHMCKEON TO CONVENE JOINT HEARING OF SENATEASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEES

SMITHMCKEON TO CONVENE JOINT HEARING OF SENATEASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEES

Major Stakeholders to Testify on Funding Needs for Open Space, Impending Bankruptcy of Garden State Preservation Trust

(TRENTON) – State officials and stakeholders will testify Thursday to a joint hearing of the Senate Environment and Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committees on the issue of funding for open space and replenishing the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT), which runs out of money in July.

"Preserving and protecting our natural resources is paramount to a healthy society," said Senator Bob Smith (D-Middlesex, Somerset), Chair of the Senate Environment Committee. "As history has shown us, New Jerseyans pride themselves on being the Garden State and understand the importance of prioritizing funding to preserve this legacy."

"The protection of open space has always been a top priority for the people of New Jersey and a key to our long-term viability," said Assemblyman John F. McKeon, Chair of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee.

"As the most densely state in the nation, it is crucial that we protect our dwindling open spaces and the purity of our rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs."

The Joint Hearing of the Senate and Assembly environment panels is scheduled to be held 10 a.m. Thursday, in Committee Room 4, 1st Floor, State House Annex, West State Street, Trenton.

The GSPT funds the preservation of open space, farmland and historic resources. The Green Acres open space program provides funding for parks, recreation and conservation, and the purchase of flood-prone areas, while protecting drinking water sources from over-development. The state provides money to counties to preserve farmland by buying the development rights, while leaving the farms in private ownership. Historic preservation money goes to non-profits and local governments to preserve important buildings and sites that form part of our rich history.

The panel expects to hear testimony from:

· NJ Secretary of Agriculture – Douglas H. Fisher
· NJ Deputy DEP Commissioner – John S. Watson Jr.
· Highlands Council Executive Director – Eileen Swan
· GSPT Chairman – Mike Murphy
· Historic Preservation – Dorothy Guzzo
· NJ Farm Bureau President – Rich Nieuwenhuis
· State Agricultural Dev. Committee Exec. Director
– Robert Baumley

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Contact:
Chairman Smith
Jenn Sciortino
609) 292-6215

Chairman McKeon
Gita Bajaj
(973) 224-4851