Hunterdon County Democrat Editorial Supports “Hot Dog Man” Operation

Wild & Scenic Given Short Shrift 

No Consideration of Public Views or Christie State Lands Lease Policy

Low Road Economic Development Strategy Wrong Path For River Corridor

Written before public hearings were held or any public debate could emerge, while purporting to seek a “balance” in public and private interests, today’s editorial from the Hunterdon County Democrat is another illustration of  the State jobs beggar thy neighbor issue and short term economistic thinking.

You can read it here:  DEP fee for park use by tubing company shouldn’t send business out of state

This may seem like a relatively small stakes minor dispute. But larger forces and issues are at play.

The Democrat’s editorial perspective fails to even consider the special features that led Congress to declare the Delaware River a Wild & Scenic River, and how those features require careful planning, management, and preservation.

In supporting the Hot Dog Man, the editorial relies on and unfortunately repeats the stale and discredited business community’s myths that protection of natural resources and the environment in NJ will drive jobs out of state, e.g. if NJ standards are set too high and cost too much to achieve, then business will move to Pennsylvania or other low cost states.

In fact, just the opposite is true: the landscape beauty, historic character, and relatively rural sense of place of the Delaware River corridor provide a regional setting that drives the region’s economy. A high quality of life attracts people and businesses, and, in turn,  economic development and higher property values.

The key is to plan and manage land use and natural resources carefully, in a way that preserves those features.

That has not bee the case with the Hot Dog Man commercial operation.

The editorial also failed to consider the new Christie State Lands Lease policy, which is driving this new DEP river access lease.

So, I fired off this quick note to Curtis Leeds, editor.

Curtis – Just read your editorial on Hot Dog Man/DEP lease issue.

Disappointed with your analysis on the following grounds:

1) Congress declared the Delaware River a Wild & Scenic River –  towns in the river corridor participated in the development of and signed on to a management plan.

The Hot Dog Man operation needs to be considered in the context of compatibility with that management plan, which includes not only impacts on the river itself, but scenic, historic, natural resources, transportation, et. al. issues

It appears that your editorial gave that set of issues short shrift.

No consistency or compatibility review has been conducted – you should call Julie Bell at the National Park Service to discuss those concerns.

My view is that this commercial operation is incompatible – I think many – including many of your readers – agree.

2) The context and driver for this is the new DEP lease/concessions policy. It inappropriately encourages commercial uses of state lands and State Parks in desperate search of revenues, while at the same time granted bargain basement low cost leases to environmentally damaging billion dollar revenue generating uses, like oil and gas pipelines and electric transmission lines.

If DEP collected market rate leases from those utility uses, then there would be no parks entrance, boat ramp access, or tuber concession fees.

Details and links to the DEP state lands lease policy can be found here:

http://www.wolfenotes.com/2013/05/christie-parks-funding-policy-oil-gas-pipelines-and-electric-transmission-lines-get-cheap-leases-while-river-tubers-kayakers-and-boaters-pay-new-fees/

Bill Wolfe