Ocean City Patch Letter to the Editor: Time to Act for the Pinelands Commissioners

To the Editor:

Having a front row seat to the scams and schemes used by Governor Christie, Senate President Sweeney and State Senator Jeff Van Drew to strong arm the SJ Gas Pipeline through the Pine Barrens, there seems to be one inescapable conclusion- the Pineland Commissions’ (PC) role will be reduced to nothing more than window dressing.

Christie has already corrupted Commissioners on the Board of Public Utilities and the Department of Environmental Protection. Their job is to rubberstamp Christie’s agenda and thereby hide his fingerprints. Unlike the Pineland Commissioners who serve without compensation, those on the BPU and DEP get hefty salaries for serving, not the public interest which they were sworn to uphold but specifically Christie’s political agenda.

It is a real tribute to the Pinelands Commissioners to have withstood incredible pressure to reject the pipeline with their January 2014 vote and stay true to the Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) which they were sworn to uphold.

With the ultimate affront to decency, Christie appointee (Executive Director) Nancy Wittenberg unilaterally is somehow in the position to undo 50 year of the PC protecting the CMP.

If this pipeline is allowed to happen it will herald an open season for developers to continue the development and degradation of the once pristine jewel of NJ- the Pine Barrens.

Thus it might be time for the PC Commissioners to “ get up and standup” to our bully boy governor by demanding that the decision of Ms. Wittenberg to give the Pine Barrens to SJ Gas be rescinded. That the Pinelands Commissioners have their power restored to protect the CMP.

If this demand is not met, then it is clear that their work as Commissioners has been neutered and the time has come for a mass resignation.

Sincerely yours,

Steven Fenichel, MD