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Pinelands staff say DEP land swap with New Egypt Raceway is advancing; public urges scrutiny
Summary
Staff told commissioners DEP is in final stages of a land exchange that would transfer about 4.5 acres to New Egypt Raceway in exchange for roughly 20–25 acres of mostly forested land in Colliers Mill; conservation groups and public commenters urged the commission to press DEP for scrutiny and said the swap would set a bad precedent.
Staff told the Pinelands Commission on Jan. 9 that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is in the final stages of approving a land exchange that would transfer roughly 4.5 acres currently owned by DEP to New Egypt Raceway in return for roughly four times that acreage—about 20–25 acres—of mostly forested land in the Colliers Mill area.
The staff presentation said the exchange has been years in the making, has included public hearings, and is scheduled to go before the state house commission on Jan. 15. Staff added the commission had met with the governor’s office liaison and with DEP and other state contacts to share information about past violations at the Raceway site and to request that the commission be notified early in the process.
Why it matters: the acreage the state would receive is largely forested land in the Pinelands area that commission staff said they prefer to be engaged on earlier in any land-exchange process. Conservation advocates told the commission they oppose the swap and worry it would reward poor stewardship and weaken protections for wetlands and forested parcels.
Heidi of the Pinelands Alliance, a public commenter, said the Alliance does not support the exchange and warned it would set a “bad precedent,” noting the raceway parcel is already constrained by wetlands. “We don’t currently support that exchange of lands… it would set a bad precedent that we would reward bad behavior for the future,” she said.
A later commenter urged the commission to send a formal letter to DEP asking it to scrutinize how water resources and other impacts are being addressed, and to ensure transparency. The speaker said local water and sewer systems differ from investor-owned utilities and that could raise future problems for the host community.
What’s next: staff said the exchange is scheduled to go to the state house commission on Jan. 15; the Pinelands Commission will continue to communicate with DEP and state liaisons and follow any formal state proceedings.
Ending: commissioners did not take a formal vote on the exchange at the Jan. 9 meeting; public commenters asked the commission to monitor the outcome and consider formal correspondence with DEP.
