McKEON: POLL RESULTS INDICATE BENEFITS OF OPEN SPACE RESONATING WITH VOTERS

McKEON: POLL RESULTS INDICATE BENEFITS OF OPEN SPACE RESONATING WITH VOTERS

Assembly Environment Chairman Hails Voter Support for $400M Bond Issue in Most Densely Populated State in Nation

(TRENTON) - Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee chairman John F. McKeon today welcomed poll results as an indication of the growing awareness of the benefits of open space and the increasing importance of the environment to the public.

In yesterday's Fairleigh Dickensen poll, a majority of respondents backed the $400 million bond issue to replenish the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) that funds open space and said they would vote in favor of the ballot question that authorizes the state to issue bonds for its purchase.

The measure (A-3901\S1858) McKeon sponsored was passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support in the Legislature. It passed in the Assembly in a 66-9-2 vote and in a 26-7-7 vote in the Senate on June 25.

"The poll results indicate that our message of the benefits of open space -  especially its economic advantages - is resonating with New Jersey citizens," McKeon (D-Essex) said. "Once again, the residents of this state have demonstrated  their desire to protect and preserve the environment and our quality of life."

Fifty-six percent of voters polled said they would approve the $400 million bond issue to fund open space, in what pollster Peter Wooley described as the "defying of conventional wisdom" since he said the gubernatorial election has focussed on taxes and an $8 billion deficit.

McKeon said advocates in the Legislature and environmentalists led by the NJ 'Keep It Green' Coalition have been getting the word out about the importance of open space to the economic vitality of our state and the quality of life in New Jersey.

"Voters in New Jersey realize we are in a race against time to protect and preserve our natural resources including our pristine watersheds, valuable farmland, historic sites and flood-prone areas.

The loss of land would be permanent and irreversible and there are a finite number of undeveloped acres in our state - the most densely populated in the nation." he added. "I expect an overwhelming Yes vote for open space on Nov. 3."