The regulator is acting against the wishes of the 69 percent of the state's residents who told Monmouth University pollsters that they want rural areas protected. It is doing so, in part, because the legislature and Christie administration have failed to clean up an almost 2-year-old mess.
In December 2009, an appellate court struck down BPU regulations that forced developers to pay the costs of extending utility lines in areas where the state wanted to discourage growth.
The court ruled the BPU didn't have the statutory authority to impose the regulations. There was no legislative fix at the time, but there's no good reason not to have one now.
New Jersey residents understand all too well the price of overdevelopment.
The more land is covered with houses, strip malls, and parking lots, the less able it is to soak up the rain that runs into rivers and storm sewers, which overflow and cause flash floods throughout the state.
Hurricane Irene's cost to New Jersey has been estimated at $1.5 billion in property damage on top of the losses of life.
"Irene should be a wakeup call for us to be taking a more careful look at what the state can do to encourage growth in the right places, where we have infrastructure, rather than increasing likely flooding," said Chris Sturm, senior director of policy at the smart-growth group New Jersey Future.
Beyond increased flood damage, extending development into rural areas ultimately costs taxpayers when they have to pay for new schools, pumping plants, road improvements, and other infrastructure to serve development, notes Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel.
Allowing sprawl developers to pass on costs to ratepayers is unfair. Encouraging development in areas better left alone is dangerous for all - and expensive to taxpayers. The Legislature must rectify this problem before the BPU rule goes into effect.
