[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 156 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      LIVABLE COMMUNITIES MOVEMENT

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, last week we discussed on the floor of 
this Chamber the impact that the livable communities movement will have 
on the 1999 elections, as well as the year 2000.
  It was clearly a critical factor in the elections held just last 
week. It was my privilege this weekend to visit with hundreds of people 
in New Jersey which confirmed this realization that such will be the 
case in the year 2000, as well.
  New Jersey, Madam Speaker, is the most densely populated of our 
States, over 8 million people in such a tiny area. I learned that part 
of New Jersey in the 12th Congressional District, represented by our 
colleague the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), is more densely 
populated than India. Yet, New Jersey is known as the Garden State. And 
while that may be hard for some to comprehend, it made perfect sense to 
me as I traveled through the beautiful New Jersey countryside.
  Citizens of this State are under no illusions when it comes to the 
challenge they face in preserving their livability. It was my privilege 
to hear those challenges discussed at great length while participating 
in a forum sponsored by Rutgers University and The Courier Times 
newspaper on the future of South Jersey.
  The session took place in Camden, literally in the shadows of the 
City of Philadelphia, and it clearly illustrated the problems and 
opportunities for their region. Issues of racial relations and poverty 
intersected with redevelopment opportunities, affordable housing with 
its rich history.
  Several hundred citizens spent their day focusing on how to craft a 
vision for their community and how to implement it into action. It was 
truly inspirational. I look forward to following their progress in 
their continuing effort to shape and put in place their vision for 
South Jersey.
  Later that day I had the opportunity to participate in a series of 
forums organized by our colleague the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Holt). Monmouth County, which is a large part of his district, will 
likely receive at least 10 percent of the million new people who are 
expected to be added to New Jersey's population over the next 20 years, 
over 100,000 people.
  The conversation, here again, along with the depth of the commitment, 
was inspirational. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) and his 
staff had organized visits with several hundred people at four 
different meetings. They were willing to spend a significant amount of 
their time on a gorgeous fall afternoon to talk indoors about the 
future of their communities.
  People understood that it was not just enough for New Jersey to be 
home to the Pines Barrens and have laws on the books. There must 
actually be a commitment to protect and enhance the million acres of 
this unique treasure, which some argue is the most significant resource 
of its kind east of the Mississippi River.
  People understood that it was not enough for New Jersey's 566 
municipalities to merely be planned and zoned. Those efforts must be 
reinforced and related to their other partners in their region and 
then, in turn, harmonized with surrounding regions.
  Local interests dominated by the vision of local control will fail. 
Local control is not meeting their needs today and will be even less 
effective in the future.
  I carried away great optimism for the future of New Jersey, in part 
because of the State's bipartisan leadership:
  The Republican governor, whose second inaugural theme was a livable 
New Jersey, has entered into an agreement with her administration and a 
local watchdog agency, New Jersey Future, to monitor New Jersey's 
executive order on sustainability. The goals and indicators are already 
in place with benchmarks to follow.
  And with a congressional advocate like the gentleman from New Jersey 
(Mr. Holt), who did not just organize an impressive series of meetings, 
he has empaneled his own advisory committee on growth management and 
the environment while here in Congress he is providing leadership on 
livable communities.
  Livability will be on the national agenda for the year 2000 election 
and beyond, and it is clear to me New Jersey will be helping lead that 
charge.

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