WHEREAS, the Highlands
region is an area that extends from northwestern Connecticut across the
lower Hudson River Valley and northern New Jersey into east central Pennsylvania
and the New Jersey portion of the Highlands region is greater than 1,000
square miles, covering portions of 7 counties and 90 municipalities; and
WHEREAS, the Highlands region is designated as a Special Resource Area
by the State Development and Redevelopment Plan (2001); and
WHEREAS, the Highlands region is an essential source of drinking water,
providing clean and plentiful drinking water for one-half of the State's
population, including communities beyond the Highlands region, from only
13 percent of the State's land area; and
WHEREAS, the Highlands region contains other exceptional natural resources
such as clean air, contiguous forest lands, wetlands, pristine watersheds
and plant and wildlife species habitats, contains sites of historic significance,
and provides abundant recreational opportunities for the citizens of the
State; and
WHEREAS, the approximately 110,000 acres of agricultural lands in active
production in the Highlands region of New Jersey are important resources
of the State that should be preserved; and
WHEREAS, the Highlands region provides a desirable quality of life where
people live and work; and
WHEREAS, it is important to ensure the economic viability of communities
throughout the Highlands region; and
WHEREAS, since 1984, 65,000 acres - over 100 square miles - of the Highlands
region have been lost to development, and sprawl and the pace of development
in the region has dramatically increased with the rate of loss of forested
lands and wetlands more than doubling since 1995; and
WHEREAS, the leadership of the New Jersey Congressional delegation to
protect the Highlands region through the introduction of the Highlands
Stewardship Act is to be commended; and
WHEREAS, members of the public and local officials have been actively
seeking the preservation of the Highlands region for decades, including
the recent work of the "Five County Coalition;" and
WHEREAS, maintaining the quality of life and preserving the natural
resources of the Highlands region while providing for smart growth opportunities
can be best accomplished through the development of a plan to encourage
acquisition, regulation and regional planning;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JAMES E. McGREEVEY, Governor of the State of New
Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER AND DIRECT:
- There is hereby established the Highlands Task Force (hereinafter
the "Task Force").
- The Task Force shall consist of:
- The Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection;
- The Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs;
- The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture;
- The Commissioner of the Department of Transportation; and
- The Chief Executive Officer and Secretary of the Commerce and
Economic Growth Commission.
Additional members of the Task Force shall be appointed by the Governor
as follows:
- 6 representatives of local officials;
- 4 representatives of statewide or regional environmental organizations;
- 2 representatives of the development/business community;
- 1 representative of the farming community; and
- 1 member of the general public.
- The Co-Chairpersons of the Task Force shall be the Commissioners
of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of
Community Affairs.
- The purpose of the Task Force shall be to make recommendations intended
to preserve the natural resources of and enhance the quality of life
in the Highlands region, including an examination of legislation, regulations,
model local ordinances or other government action necessary to address,
at a minimum, the following topics:
- Protection of water quality, drinking water supplies, wetlands,
critical plant and wildlife species habitat, vegetated stream corridors,
and contiguous forests;
- Identification of methods to protect and preserve open space
and natural resources of the Highlands region;
- Identification of methods to enhance farmland preservation and
support the agriculture industry in the Highlands region;
- Identification of methods to promote historic, cultural, scenic
and recreational resource opportunities that preserve the natural
features of the Highlands region; and
- Provision of smart growth opportunities, including economic development
and redevelopment, in the Highlands region through regional planning,
including coordination of transportation and infrastructure investments
and administrative agency activities, consistent with State Development
and Redevelopment Plan (2001).
- The Task Force shall schedule public hearings to solicit input from
the public and interested parties, including the "Five County Coalition."
- The Task Force shall submit a final report containing its findings
and recommendations, including an implementation plan, to the Governor
within 180 days of this Executive Order.
- The Task Force is authorized to call upon any department, office,
division or agency of this State to supply it with records and other
information, personnel or assistance it deems necessary to discharge
its duties under this Order. Each department, office, division or agency
of this State is hereby required, to the extent not inconsistent with
law, to cooperate with the Task Force and to furnish it with such records,
information, personnel and assistance as is necessary to accomplish
the purposes of this Order.
- This Order shall take effect immediately.
|
GIVEN, under my hand and seal, this 19th day
of September in the Year of Our Lord, Two
Thousand Three, and of the Independence
of the United States, the Two Hundred and Twenty-Eighth.
/s/ James E. McGreevey
Governor
[seal] |
Attest:
/s/ Michael R. DeCotiis
Chief Counsel to the Governor