Senate Passes Liberty State Park Protection Act – Assembly Must Act

Today, the Senate passed S3357 (Cunningham/Weinberg). The “Liberty State Park Protection Act” establishes the Liberty State Park Advisory Committee and requirements concerning DEP actions related to Liberty State Park. The Park, which is the terminal to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, has more than 7 million visitors a year and is one of the most visited state parks in the country. The bill passed with a vote of 21-13.

“Liberty State Park is one of the treasures of New Jersey, and the Senate has just passed legislation to protect it. Now the Assembly needs to stand up and protect the park by passing this bill today. This is a park that represents both The Statue of Liberty and the gateway to our country. We have been fighting for decades to save Liberty State Park from privatization, and this bill will help further that fight. This legislation will ensure that Liberty State Park remains a place for the people of New Jersey to enjoy the outdoors,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We believe that having some concessions in parks that benefit the visitors can be a good thing. However, there are four conditions: it doesn’t interfere with the park use, it’s affordable, it doesn’t hurt or damage natural resources like historic or scenic views, and it furthers the goals of the park.”

Billionaire Paul Fireman is pushing legislators and lobbying to get his ultra-exclusive golf course expansion onto the Caven’s Point area of Liberty State Park. A so-called environmental group calling themselves the Enhance Liberty State Park Coalition has been circulating a petition that would undermine this legislation and allow privatization on public land.

“This legislation has been blocked in the Assembly because of the power of billionaire Paul Fireman. This billionaire wants public land for his golf course for millionaires, and he set up a phony coalition to help him do it. With the support of the Labor Union and others, this fake group has been able to block the progress of this bill. We need the Assembly to stand up to protect Liberty State Park,” said Tittel. “We have fought for decades to protect Liberty State Park from privatization, and we will continue to fight no matter what charades Fireman tries to pull.”

The Liberty State Park Protection Act would prohibit the DEP from considering any proposal to commercialize, develop, or privatize Liberty State Park, except as provided in the bill. The bill would prohibit any concession, conveyance, or lease within the 235-acre natural restoration area in the interior of Liberty State Park, and at Caven Point Peninsula. The bill would require the DEP to develop a management plan for Liberty State Park in consultation with the established committee within three years.

“We need this legislation to pass both houses because we have been fighting for decades to stop privatization and development of Liberty State Park. Paul Fireman and his Millionaire’s Golf Course is the reason we need legislation to protect the park. There has been one battle after another, from golf courses to shopping malls, water parks to a private marina, and many more. We support this legislation because it will help protect Liberty State Park from inappropriate privatization. There can still be leases or concessions that could take place at the park but there will be public oversight and public process and they will have to go to a committee for approval. This will help protect the park from abuse and projects that would hurt, rather than compliment it,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Senate has voted, now the Assembly needs to post this bill and move forward to put it on the Governor’s desk. Governor Murphy needs to sign this legislation to make sure that the park that is named after the Statue of Liberty belongs to all of us and stays open to all of us.”