Overview
The Pinelands Commission is comprised of fifteen members, seven of whom are nominated by the governor, one appointed by each of the seven Pinelands Counties (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean), and one federal representative from the Department of the Interior. Members of the Commission serve staggered three-year terms, but, once their terms expire, they continue in office until replaced or they resign. The Governor appoints the Chair of the Commission.
Pinelands Commissioners have final say with regards to all rule changes and all development activities regulated by the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP). View the list of Pinelands Commissioners on the state’s website.
In recent years, the Pinelands Commission has approved several developments in violation of the plain terms and intent of the Pinelands Protection Act and CMP. The Commission has also moved to diminish the voices and rights of the public in their process and has failed to enact common-sense and critical policies. We are working with Counties to ensure that their representatives on the Commission are chosen through a fair and transparent process. It is essential that the governor also make new nominations of conservation-minded individuals, and that the state Senate confirm these nominations.
Gov. Murphy Makes Pinelands Commission Nominations
On September 29th Governor Murphy made two nominations for the Pinelands Commission—on Monday 12/5 the Pinelands Commission announced that one was successfully confirmed by the New Jersey senate. Mark Mauriello will be sworn into his position at the next Commission meeting on January 13.
However, Governor Murphy’s second nomination remains in limbo and we are anxious to see the swift confirmation of Jessica Sanchez, PhD to the Commission as soon as possible. She has worked in water supply planning for the Delaware River Basin Commission and served as a Trustee of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance for many years. Her nomination will not be considered by the New Jersey senate judiciary committee until her Senator gives her consent. Senator Jean Stanfield is still weighing the nomination of Dr. Sanchez, so if you are a constituent of New Jersey’s 8th legislative district, or if you just care about the Pinelands, please let her know that you expect her to let this nomination proceed to the full Senate for confirmation.
Senator Jean Stanfield: District 8, phone: 856-817-2143
Questions? Contact Policy Director, Heidi Yeh. She can be reached at Heidi@PinelandsAlliance.org or by phone at 609-859-8860 ext. 122.