SENATE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 1670

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JANUARY 27, 1997

      The Senate Environment Committee favorably reports Senate Bill No. 1670 with committee amendments.

      As amended by committee this bill would appropriate $3.3 million from the "Water Conservation Fund" established pursuant to the "Water Conservation Bond Act," P.L.1969, c.127, to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to acquire, in consultation with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, lands or interests therein in the Highlands area of New Jersey for the purpose of augmenting, increasing, improving, preserving, protecting, or conserving natural water resources and supplies important to New Jersey and facilitating recreational uses incidental thereto.

      To the extent that the balance of the moneys available in the "Water Conservation Fund" that have not been previously appropriated pursuant to law is insufficient to support the sums appropriated pursuant to the bill, the bill would make the following available from the "Water Conservation Fund" to support the remainder of the appropriation: (1) moneys returned to the "Water Conservation Fund" due to project withdrawals, cancellations, or cost savings involving projects previously funded by law; and (2) moneys previously appropriated pursuant to law from the "Water Conservation Fund" to fund projects but for which no such moneys have been expended, other than for administrative or program purposes, in the five-year period immediately prior to the date of enactment of the bill, or to fund projects deemed by the DEP as of the date of enactment of the bill to be otherwise no longer active, the previous appropriation of which is canceled subject to the approval of the Joint Budget Oversight Committee or its successor, except that this provision would not apply to moneys appropriated pursuant to P.L.1995. c.7. That act appropriated $10 million from the "Water Conservation Fund" for use toward the acquisition of lands in Sterling Forest in the State of New York and $1 million for use toward the acquisition of certain lands in the pinelands area of New Jersey.

      The committee amended the bill to increase the appropriation from $2.3 million to $3.3 million. In reviewing documents submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection to the Assembly Environment, Science & Technology Committee, the committee determined that an additional $1 million was available for appropriation. The department's documents showed an unappropriated balance of $398,723 and an allocation of $680,000 for administrative expenses. The $1 million additional appropriation is being taken from these sources. The committee stated a preference for funding the acquisition of lands in the Highlands area to spending the money on administrative expenses.