Trenton - In a strong show of bipartisan support, five former New Jersey governors on Monday announced their support for preserving the state's Highlands region and joined Governor James E. McGreevey in the fight to protect a major source of New Jersey's drinking water.

"The Highlands legislation builds on a long-standing tradition of bold environmental actions that made New Jersey a better place, but have time and again been bitterly opposed by special interests," Governor McGreevey said. "From preserving the Pinelands to protecting the wetlands to ensuring clean drinking water, New Jersey governors fought hard for what is right. Our fight to preserve the Highlands is part of the legacy of environmental protection that has been a hallmark of New Jersey."

Governor McGreevey was joined for a news conference in his outer office by former governors Brendan T. Byrne, James J. Florio, Christine Todd Whitman and Donald T. DiFrancesco. Former governor Thomas H. Kean was unable to attend the news conference, but also voiced his support for Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act.

"This may be the most important part of the state left that is capable of preservation," Kean said earlier. "It's also one of the most important areas for water supply and recreation, so it's sensible to keep it from becoming too heavily populated. If uncontrolled development happens in that area, New Jersey is going to be a different kind of state."

The endorsements from the former governors underscored the importance of the Highlands region to all of New Jersey.

Sixty-four percent of New Jersey residents, about 5.4 million people, receive their water from the Highlands. Those residents live in 292 municipalities, in 16 counties. And they include 900,000 people in urban areas such as Newark and Jersey City.

The New Jersey Highlands is a 1,000-square-mile area in the Northwest part of the State, stretching from Phillipsburg in the Southwest to Ringwood in the Northeast. It lies within portions of seven counties (Hunterdon, Somerset, Sussex, Warren, Morris, Passaic and Bergen) and 87 municipalities.

Between 1995 and 2000, sprawl consumed 25,000 acres of forests and farmland in the Highlands. Population growth is increasing in the Highlands at a rate nearly 50 percent faster than the Statewide rate.

To combat this trend, the Governor established the Highlands Task Force through Executive Order on September 19, 2003 and charged it with providing recommendations on how best to advance conservation efforts, smart growth, regional planning and water resource protections in the region.

The Task Force presented its recommendations to preserve New Jersey's Highlands to the public on March 13, 2004.

Under Governor McGreevey, 7,200 acres of farmland have been preserved in the Highlands and approximately 17,000 acres of open space in and around the Highlands have been protected. In addition, seven of the region's waterbodies received C1 designation. In November 2002, voters approved Public Question No. 1, which will provide $150 million toward the purchase of open space and farms in the Highlands region and throughout the State.

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Contact: Micah Rasmussen, 609-777-2600

State of New Jersey Governor's Office

POB 004

Trenton NJ 08625

Copyright (c) State of New Jersey, 2002