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Space invaders

New Jersey politicians are diving after a chunk of open-space money like seagulls after a french fry. In an egregious effort to paper over fiscal mismanagement, Gov. Christie wants to snatch $20 million of the estimated $80 million available for land preservation this year and divert it to operating expenses.

New Jersey politicians are diving after a chunk of open-space money like seagulls after a french fry. In an egregious effort to paper over fiscal mismanagement, Gov. Christie wants to snatch $20 million of the estimated $80 million available for land preservation this year and divert it to operating expenses.

The administration is not alone in the dollar dive. Legislators can't agree on how to split up the money, and neither can environmentalists, which could cause delays in open-space acquisition.

Regrettably, the state's residents have no say in the matter - even though almost a million of them voted last fall to devote a portion of business-tax revenues to permanent open-space funding.

While the administration's plan to divert some of that money to manage and maintain state parks may be legal, it's contrary to the intent of the fund's sponsors and voters. The fund is meant to preserve land and prevent flood damage in the nation's most developed state. Park operations and maintenance should be covered by the general fund as they have been in the past.

Christie's maneuver would be the latest in a series of fiscal tricks that have contributed to a record nine credit downgrades during his administration. It's also disingenuous considering that he tried to kill the open-space funding, strong-arming Republican legislators into voting against it. Fortunately, several stood their ground and voted with Democrats to put the measure before voters.

Even if Christie's attempted raid is blocked by the Legislature, there won't be enough in the fund to meet all the state's preservation needs. With less than half the typical level of funding available, open space should be acquired where it can have the greatest impact, such as in populated coastal regions where it can absorb floodwaters. Partly due to extensive damage along the Jersey Shore, Hurricane Sandy accounted for 60 percent of the nation's flood losses in 2012, the second-costliest year for weather disasters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

As anyone who has spent time in New Jersey can attest, flooding isn't just a Shore problem. The state's most recent hazard mitigation plan shows that repetitive flooding has racked up huge expenses in the Philadelphia suburbs too, including almost $22 million in Burlington County and $5 million in Camden County in 2013. These communities can't afford to lose essential land-preservation funds to the administration's fiscal irresponsibility.

Trenton politicians have to stop acting like scavengers. The voters have spoken, and elected officials must come to a consensus on effectively targeting limited open-space funds to the essential work of preserving land in flood-prone areas.