RELEASED ON november 21, 2011
MAYOR JANICE MIRONOV
AND OTHER AREA MAYORS
ISSUE BI-PARTISAN COLUMN ON
"KEEP ENERGY SPRAWL OFF PRODUCTIVE FARMLAND"
Pursuant to the NJ Municipal Land Use
Law, all municipalities in New Jersey must have master plans and zoning
regulations which determine and limit the use of every single piece of
property within each community. Zoning defines permitted uses for
properties throughout a municipality, serving as an important planning
tool and public safeguard. For example, if a homeowner wishes to run a
nightclub out of his home, he is not allowed. Similarly, if a landowner
is offered a large sum of money to allow the siting of a shiny new
incinerator or a nuclear waste facility on his farm, he is not allowed.
In both cases, zoning precludes these alternative uses and serves as a
public protection for surrounding landowners. While it sounds like an
attractive live-free adage to declare “I can do whatever I wish with my
property”, the fact is that no one can just do whatever they want with
their property. Municipal leaders are sometimes called upon to defend
the municipal master plan and zoning for the protection of the entire
community.
In the case of renewable energy, New
Jersey should put solar energy facilities where they belong, looking
first to rooftops on our extensive array of warehouses, shopping centers
and office complexes, on parking facilities and carports, and on brown
fields, landfills and redevelopment sites. Solar projects which directly
power businesses, including those that power agricultural operations, so
as to reduce energy operating costs, should be encouraged as long as the
primary use remains. Net metered projects for existing businesses offer
a dual benefit to communities, by both greening our environment and also
reducing energy costs, enabling the businesses to operate at a more
competitive cost and be more apt to stay in New Jersey and in our towns.
This keeps jobs here and local shoppers here and even provides for the
potential of expansion of the existing businesses and the creation of
additional jobs.
As pointed out by Michelle Byers, executive director of the New Jersey
Conservation Foundation, in a recent editorial, “Agricultural land that
is supplying food and pastoral beauty, fighting global warming, and
providing an alternative to sprawl shouldn’t be diverted for energy
generation.” As encouraged by Chris Strum in a recent NJ Future article,
“Discouraging utility-scale solar development on farmland would ensure
that agriculture retains its role as a thriving contributor to the
Garden State’s economy, environment and quality of life.” The Governor’s
proposed Energy Master Plan expressly states that “the policy of
encouraging the development of renewable resources should not impact the
preservation of farmland and open space”, and the Administration “does
not support the use of ratepayer subsidies to turn productive farmland
into grid supply solar facilities. ”We strongly agree that the siting of
solar facilities should be prioritized by statewide policy and that our
taxpayer funds should not be used to incentivize and subsidize the use
of productive farmland for large scale commercial grid solar facilities.
However, New Jersey legislators have once
again intervened undermining local zoning and planning by declaring
utility scale solar facilities on farmland as “inherently beneficial
uses” making it difficult for local officials to identify appropriate
sites for renewable projects and undermining the ability to regulate
these sites. Recently, New Jersey legislators similarly interfered with
local prerogatives by unilateral fiat from Trenton, declaring that
approved age-restricted housing developments could now become family
housing -- in total disregard of local master plans and zoning and
dismissing the public process and public input.
When the State allows local zoning to be
thrown out, it creates problems for local officials and residents alike.
When residents complain about the glare and trash on solar farms or the
stunning visual impairment of previously green farms hosting thousands
of ground panels and equipment, they do not go to the legislature or the
property owner. The residents show up at the Mayor’s office and are
often shocked that the legislature has rendered us powerless to fix the
residents problem. Mayors who are on the front line with citizens and
sit on local planning boards understand the nature of issues and
concerns which need to be addressed before projects are permitted to be
built.
We all support encouraging the use of
renewable energy, but the promotion of this good goal should not beat
the expense of other important equally worthy land uses and planning
goals, such as the preservation of farmland and open space. As a result
of substantial federal and state public subsidizes, New Jersey
legislative enactments creating a singular favoritism for renewable
energy and the absence of a thoughtful balanced state policy with
priorities, a general “free-for-all”has been created which does not well
serve our State and the public. Because of New Jersey’s small size and
the significant impacts caused by large-scale ground solar arrays, the
issue as to whether a solar installation is the appropriate use of a
given parcel of land is particularly critical. The significant drop in
solar project construction costs, development of more advanced renewable
technology and options, and the current crash in the solar credits
market all further underscore the importance of state officials moving
expeditiously to resolve these important policy and fiscal issues.
Submitted by,
Mayor Janice Mironov, East Windsor
Township
Mayor John Bencivengo, Hamilton Township
Mayor Peter Cantu, Plainsboro Township
Mayor David Fried, Robbinsville Township
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