NJ May Cut Red Tape For Waste Facilities
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
New Jersey environmental regulators are working to ease burdens on the wastewater sector by eliminating certain reporting requirements for localities.
In the document published last month, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed to simplify the planning process for new waste facilities “by eliminating duplication of information currently required” by the state, NJ Spotlight reported. Under the proposal, counties would no longer need to “submit a full range of technical data in determining the location of a new wastewater plant.”
DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said the proposal is consistent with Governor Chris Christie’s goal “of reducing unnecessary red tape while maintaining the high standards of environmental protection New Jersey residents expect," according to NJ Advance Media.
The DEP says the current process is “extremely complex” and hinders economic growth, according to the report. The proposal tries to “give counties and municipalities more control over where to build wastewater plants, saying the changes would open up more sensitive lands to developers,” the report explained.
Lawrence Hajna, DEP spokesperson, explained the goals of the effort to The Bernardsville News. Hajna “said the current water quality management rules were put in place under the administration of Gov. Jon Corzine and were too unwieldy,” according to the report. “Hajna said the current water quality plan puts too much responsibility on counties to complete the extremely technical procedures for the plans. The proposed amendment would give greater authority to the DEP to complete water quality examinations.”
“What we had wasn’t working,” Hajna said, per the report. “We’ve been stumbling along trying to get the water quality management plans adopted.”
“We have the staff and the expertise,” Hajna said. “[The amendment] will ensure that development is consistent with the state development and redevelopment plan. By using the environmental indicators that we have, we will be able to make sure that development goes where it should go and that the environment is protected.”
Many environmental activists oppose the proposed regulations. Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, is among them. Tittel called the new rules "an assault on clean water by the Christie administration," according to NJ Advance Media.
"These rules side with developers and land speculators over protecting our open space and drinking water," Tittel said.
Similar stories can be found at Water Online’s Wastewater Regulations And Legislation Solution Center.
Image credit: "130929-Z-AL508-," New Jersey National Guard © 2013. Image is in the public domain.