Allison Musante

By: centraljersey.com
PLAINSBORO – The Township Committee joined the effort to save the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission from elimination, a decision currently waiting on Gov. Chris Christie.
At its meeting Wednesday night, the committee passed a resolution expressing its support for the commission and will forward it to Gov. Christie’s office, the New Jersey League of Municipalities, the state Department of Environmental Protection, and Assembly representatives. The committee’s resolution echoes other municipalities along the canal, who for the past few months have urged the Legislature to preserve the commission, which administers an independent land-use regulatory program and protects against harmful development within the state park’s 400-square mile watershed.
"The commission touches a number of communities, including ours," Mayor Peter Cantu said. "The oversight they have provided in the past has been beneficial. Our relationship with the commission has been positive, with the various issues and projects proposed over the years, and we respect the job they’re doing."
The canal borders a large part of the township at Mapleton Road.
The commission is included on a list of several hundred agencies and boards recommended for elimination, according to DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese.
"A decision has not been made yet," he said. "But it’s one of our recommendations for elimination. All departments in the state were asked to look at the commissions and various agencies to see what can be consolidated. The commission, along with a host of other agencies, is on a list sitting on Gov. Christie’s desk."
Mr. Ragonese said the DEP is aware of the township’s resolutions and the public’s concerns about the commission, but he said its duties of protecting the park would remain intact and assigned elsewhere within the department.
"The towns have had a longstanding relationship with the commission, and we completely understand their feelings," he said. "But we want to let them know we would pick up their responsibilities. There will not be a void. At the DEP, Commissioner (Bob) Martin’s goal has been transformation of the agency – how can we be more efficient, what could someone else do better?"
About 22 municipalities are located along the 70-mile canal, spanning Mercer, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex and Monmouth counties. Those who have passed similar resolutions include West Windsor, Hopewell Township, Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, Montgomery Township, the Trenton City Council and Stockton Borough.
As established in 1974, the commission has the right to approve, review, reject or modify any action by the state affecting the park. Township officials and environmental groups have argued that without the commission, which acts independently of the state, the park may be at risk of inappropriate land use.
"Without this separation, the state would be reviewing its own projects for consistency and we would lose the impartial decision-making currently in place," the commission said in a statement. "Abolishing the Canal Commission will not save New Jersey taxpayers any money and it will certainly lead to a degradation of central New Jersey’s most used and greatly loved park."
Terry Stimpfel, chair of the central New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, reiterated her concern that because the DEP does not have regulatory authority over the state, the possibility of inappropriate development, such as high-rise apartment complexes, along the canal is very real.
"When you have an agency that’s self-funded, and it’s eliminated, the people won’t benefit," she said. "So who will benefit? I don’t think the people of New Jersey want to find out."
Calls to commission officials for a comment were not returned by press time.