Last week, Tri-State and 14 environmental, housing, and planning groups called on state policymakers to ensure that the state spends its federal stimulus funds in a way that furthers public policy goals.

Among the coalition’s principles are that the state should use stimulus funds to invest in sustainable transportation, prioritize road repair over expansion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote redevelopment instead of sprawl, and reduce congestion through smart land use.

In a statement, Tri-State executive director Kate Slevin praised NJ’s continued advancement of the Access to the Region’s Core rail tunnel, while Michele Byers of the NJ Conservation Foundation criticized plans to widen the Garden State Parkway in the Pinelands National Reserve and Rt. 206 in the Highlands watershed.

Coalition members include the American Littoral Society, Association of NJ Environmental Commissions, Clean Ocean Action, Edison Wetlands Association, Highlands Coalition, Housing & Community Development Network of NJ, NJ Audubon, NJ Environmental Federation, NJ Future, Pinelands Preservation Alliance, PlanSmart NJ, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, and Trust for Public Land.

Image: Google Maps image of GS Parkway, near Interchange 69 in Ocean Township.