Environmental groups have far too much power, and are a able to wield it to easilly. It’s funny how they always seem to find some threatened species whenever someone wants to build (especially Walmart), or in an off-road area that has been used for decades without problems.
It sure is funny how this particular snake only lives in this 21 acres, yet in order to appease the environ whack jobs they need 212 acres of enhanced snake habitat. One has to wonder what the cost for snake relocation is, is close to the $10,000+ is costs to relocate a tortoise. Now I have to add this disclaimer, I am by no means advocating that I am for the destruction of species, but it sure very obvious these so-called environmental groups have lost touch with the original intent of their forming, and have been taken over by vehement anti human radicals.
I have to also state that my headline by no means is a call for crazy whack job nutcases to shoot at Walmart, giving the left an excuse to blame Sarah Palin, Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh.
______________________________________________
Walmart store on Route 37 West in Toms River nears settlement
By KIRK MOORE • STAFF WRITER • January 13, 2011
TOMS RIVER — More than six years after they filed their first application, Walmart developers Jay and Linda Grunin are on the verge of a settlement that could help them obtain a state permit to build the store on Route 37 West, in exchange for 212 acres of enhanced Northern pine snake habitat several miles west in Manchester.
The proposed settlement announced Thursday by the state Department of Environmental Protection comes after two previous rejections of a state Coastal Area Facility Review Act permit, because the 21-acre site at the corner of Northampton Boulevard was found to be a habitat for the threatened species.
Jay Grunin said DEP officials continued to work with him and his wife on potential solutions. The proposed settlement is now subject to a public comment process that DEP officials say could result in still more changes. Environmental groups said using mitigation on this scale to allow a problematic application to move forward is something new for the DEP.
“We’re very grateful the DEP has stayed with us and worked with us,” Grunin said. “Throughout this process, the DEP has been extremely cooperative in working with us, and trying to get a resolution that balances the environmental concerns with the concerns of the local community for growth and jobs.”
The Grunins received plentiful support from municipal officials in Toms River and Manchester. The project site lies on the towns’ boundaries and they stand to share in the property tax revenue if it’s built. Days after Gov. Chris Christie won the November 2009 election, the Grunins were asking him for help in getting DEP approval for Walmart.
“I’m happy to see they worked out a compromise settlement where the developer and the DEP agreed to set aside a couple hundred acres as a habitat for the Pineland snake, which will be forever restricted to that purpose,” said Toms River Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher. “At the same time, it’s allowing the Walmart store to be built, representing a great ratable for the town. I think this will be a great service for Manchester and Toms River residents.”
