where sewers can be extended will change under a proposal by Gov. Chris
Christie’s administration, but environmentalists claim that will result in
sprawl, overdevelopment and flooding.
Press that:
Areas newly approved for sewer service
typically become targets for business and housing development. The Christie
administration wants to repeal and rewrite the Water Quality Management
Planning rules, with an eye on nudging the state out of its economic slump.
The final of three public hearings will be
hosted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in Trenton
Monday at 10 a.m.
DEP officials say the goal is to eliminate “red tape’’ and spur “appropriate
economic growth,’’ while maintaining high standards of environmental
protection.
The Sierra Club’s Jeff Tittel on Friday said
the change if allowed to go forward “threatens our most important forested and
environmentally sensitive lands, especially in the Highlands and Pinelands.’’
“This rule is not only a rollback of
environmental protections and not based on science, but a complete giveaway to
land speculators and developers,’’ Tittel said.
