Can you imagine New Jersey without its barrier island communities? Here in Cape May County, they are the heart of our identity. Locals treasure them. Hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the state – and well beyond – flock here each summer to enjoy the ocean, the breeze, the birds and the unique beauty these islands provide.
These islands were developed by humans over the last century and more. If a Department of Environmental Protection had existed back then, what the people created would have been unilaterally thwarted by those devoted to environmental ideals, without any counterbalancing of citizen desires.
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Human life inevitably changes the Earth, but the
benefits to mankind must count in the balance.
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Consider this: Route 55 was begun decades ago but remains unfinished because it would have to cross the Pinelands. If we can’t finish a road there, what chance would there have been of getting causeways built out to our barrier islands?
Or take the BL England power plant. When plans were made to convert it from coal to natural gas, we couldn’t even get approval for a pipeline laid along existing roads through sand.
These examples make me wonder: What environmental or ecological harm can we actually point to that came from building those original causeways or from developing the islands themselves? I’m not suggesting the impact was zero – but it’s hard to deny the enormous joy, economic activity and community life that have grown because of them.
Tourism, property taxes, business activity – these aren’t small things. They help sustain Cape May County and, by extension, the state of New Jersey.
What frustrates me most is that in New Jersey today, environmental agencies now hold the final word on major projects – not the representatives the people elect. With Route 55, we were told simply, “No.” But what specifically would be lost? What damage would be done? The same silence surrounded the pipeline proposal.
In a better-functioning democracy, such monumental decisions would be debated and decided by the citizens’ representatives, not by administrative staff behind closed doors. The people are the sovereigns in a democracy, and as such, they, not administrative staff, must have the final word.
Because here’s the truth: Human life on Earth changes the Earth. We cannot avoid that. So the question becomes, how do we weigh environmental costs against human benefits? Is the enjoyment, convenience and quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people worth nothing? Or should it be part of the equation?
Our barrier islands are a testament to what happens when human ambition meets natural beauty. They remind us that protection and progress don’t always have to be enemies – but finding that balance requires honesty, transparency and respect for both the environment and the people who live with it.
Quotes From the Bible
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the Earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” — Genesis 1:28
Relevance: Verse ties to stewardship, sovereignty and the balance of creation and human responsibility.
