For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
Today, S3229 (Codey) / A5114 (DeAngelo) passed the Senate and Assembly today. The bill appropriates $37.16 million from constitutionally dedicated corporate business tax (CBT) revenues for recreation and conservation purposes to DEP for State capital and park development projects. The bill passed the Senate with a vote of 33-0 and the Assembly with a vote of 75-0-0. It now goes to the governor’s desk to sign.
“State parks in New Jersey have been neglected and left behind for years. Money that was supposed to go to fix them has been diverted for other purposes. This bill is the right bill at the right time because it is the largest amount going to parks that we’ve seen. Allocating $37 million will go a long way towards addressing the capital repairs that need to be done. This is important for the future of our parks. This is especially important during the pandemic, when people have been getting outside and enjoying our parks more,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.“Governor Murphy needs to sign this bill quickly to help move our state parks forward. Our state parks are important for the people of New Jersey, especially those who come from low- or moderate-income communities or urban areas.”
The $37.16 million will be allocated to improve boating and fishing access, camping development, habitat improvements, and infrastructure repairs like bridges and roads, and more. Nearly $3 million will go toward a contingency fund for park repairs.
“For too long, our parks have been like the neglected step-child of open space preservation. Many of these parks desperately need repairs and improvements that have been delayed for years. We need $250 million for emergency repairs and another $200-$250 million for needed upgrades. Our parks are falling apart, buildings are falling down, and we haven’t built a new swimming area since 1981,” said Tittel. “Investing in our parks is an investment in people. More than 17 million people visit our parks annually, generating over $4 billion in revenue each year. The problem is we haven’t been investing in parks. In addition to taking money away from capital improvements, the state has also cut our parks budget. This year DEP cut $9.6 million from the parks budget even though DEP park staff is already at an all-time low.”
Former Governor Chris Christie blocked open space funding in multiple different ways. He took millions from the open space program to pay for salaries and maintenance at state parks and diverted funds that were meant for state parks and urban areas to wealthy suburban and rural communities.
“Part of the problem is that some people think that open space is taking a ride in the country and looking at trees. Parks need to be for people too. Of the $3 billion spent on open space in the past 20 years, almost nothing went to parks. Christie wouldn’t even fund open space until the legislature and some conservation and land trust groups devised a scheme to take parks money for rural areas,” said Tittel. “There was supposed to be $30 million a year going to state parks and urban parks in 2015, but $23 million of that was taken for wealthy and rural areas instead.”
The state’s parks and recreation areas are not only important to our communities but to our economy. Park visitors generate over $4 billion in tourism revenue annually. That figure could be boosted with further investment in park upgrades and the addition of new recreation areas.
“We need more equitable funding for our parks and open spaces. We need money to open new parks and plant trees and restore natural habitats in the parks we have. We need more money for capital improvements in all of our parks. This $37 million is an important step forward, but we need more. Our state parks are falling apart and we have $500 million in backlogs. That’s why we need to invest more. We should have a 40% set aside for urban areas and state parks and make those places a greater priority,” said Jeff TIttel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Sierra Club does not buy land and we do not take government money. Since 1892, our job has been to advocate for parks and for people, to make sure parks are adequately funded and staffed, and to protect open spaces everywhere. We will continue that fight. We will make sure everyone has access to open spaces and parks.”