Murphy DEP Has Approved Millions Of Square Feet Of Warehouse Space During Tenure
The Murphy DEP recently issued another set of public notices for pending DEP approval of millions of square feet of poorly planned new warehouse space, located inappropriately on environmentally sensitive, rural, or farmland, see (hit the links for the public notice info, et al):
- January 6, 2025
Proposed Amendment to the Lower Delaware Water Quality Management Plan
… The proposed amendment, identified as Active ACQ. Warehousing Carneys Point/Catalano 1/AACHCP (Program Interest No. 435441, Activity No. AMD220003), would establish a new sewer service area (SSA) of 96.4 acres to serve proposed construction of two warehouses with associated office space, parking and stormwater infrastructure. Warehouse A is proposed to be 1.02 million square feet and is to be constructed on Block 268, Lots 5, 5.01, and 6, located to the south of Courses Landing Road in Carneys Point, Salem County. Warehouse B is proposed to be 276,138 square feet and is to be constructed on Block 255, Lots 13, 14, 14.01, 14.02 and 14.03 Carneys Point, Salem County. The proposed warehouses are to be served by a proposed onsite DGW wastewater treatment system to be located on Block 255, Lot 10.
- January 6, 2025
Proposed Amendment to the Monmouth County Water Quality Management Plan
… The proposed amendment, identified as Gaitway Farms (Program Interest No. 435462, Activity No. AMD220003), would expand the Western Monmouth Utilities Authority Pine Brook Sewage Treatment Plant (WMUA STP) sewer service area (SSA) by 35.53 acres to serve a proposed commercial development on Block 74, Lot 11.01 (portion) in Manalapan Township, Monmouth County. The proposed project consists of a 575,596 square foot (sf) warehouse building that includes 20,000 sf of office space.
- December 16, 2024
Proposed Amendment to the Tri- County Water Quality Management Plan
… The proposed amendment, identified as “2470 Route 206 Pemberton Warehouse” (Program Interest No. 435433, Activity No. AMD220010) would expand the sewer service area (SSA) of the Mount Holly Municipal Utilities Authority (MHMUA) Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) (NJPDES No. NJ0024015) by 57.75 acres to serve a proposed 812,500 square feet (SF) building consisting of 772,500 SF of warehouse space and 40,000 SF of office space located on a portion of Block 778, Lot 2.01, in Pemberton Township, Burlington County.
I’ve written many times to criticize the Murphy DEP’s failure to protect NJ’s landscape, communities, and natural resources from the explosion of warehouse growth by enforcing NJ’s environmental laws, yet the NJ press corps has give DEP a total pass.
NJ media instead have framed and focused stories almost exclusively on municipal “home rule” or various failed legislative efforts to strengthen the toothless State Plan. Most recently I wrote:
In striking contrast, while the Murphy DEP diddles and rubber stamps regulatory approvals, the Fulop 2025 Gubernatorial campaign platform on the environment has proposed, among other things, a moratorium on warehouse approvals:
As Governor, Fulop would immediately issue an executive order to implement a statewide moratorium on warehouse approvals until a statewide study on best practices is completed. In addition, while respecting the rules of home rule that govern NJ municipalities, Fulop would push for statewide changes to land use laws, including supermajority requirements at zoning/planning boards for municipal approvals, additional environmental impact studies paid for by the applicant but selected by the municipality for neutrality, and require the applicant pay stormwater and impact fees.Until a process that is fair to residents is implemented and one that considers the long-term impact on NJ, the moratorium would exist under the Fulop Administration.
Back in June 2024, I wrote the Fulop campaign a memo, which recommended such a moratorium (I urge readers to read the whole thing), but Fulop did not go nearly as broad in scope as I recommended and he qualified the moratorium with “until” and limited reforms to merely a “study” of “best practices” (not enactment of laws and adoption of regulations) at the municipal level (not DEP and State Plan):
1. I just checked your website for “policies”. You don’t have climate, energy, land use, environmental quality, parks, green cities, environment justice, or public health policies posted. Do NOT rely on the usual suspects to draft these policies. HUGE OPPORTUNITY HERE if done right (in policy substance, not just message and narrative).
[2.]
“3. Land use is back on the agenda. Don’t go for the single issue (e.g. warehouse) incremental crap. Adopt a moratorium on destruction of what’s left of NJ forests and farmlands. Go big on reforestation and urban forestry and urban parks. Put regulatory teeth in the State Plan. Time for bold leadership and big plans.”
Protect What’s Left!
That should be Fulop’s campaign slogan, because NJ’s is the nation’s most densely populated state and is already way past buildout and water and air quality are declining and fail to meet federal health based standards, statewide.
And the moratorium on new fossil infrastructure long sought by NJ climate activists is missing as well (as is any concept of the necessary phase out of existing fossil or mandates for electrification).
To his credit, Fulop also partially followed our recommendations and pledged to reinvest in State Parks and stop the privatization and corporate development of State Parks, including iconic Liberty State Park:
We plan to write more on these issues, but for today I just wanted to get the heads up on the proposed DEP WQMP approvals out there and show the striking contrast with the Fulop campaign.