CHRISTIE OUTLINES RADICAL ECO-ROLLBACK IN NEW JERSEY — Privatization Specialist Tapped

[Hannah Bell]

CHRISTIE OUTLINES RADICAL ECO-ROLLBACK IN NEW JERSEY —
Privatization Specialist Tapped to Head Department of Environmental Protection


Trenton — In his first weeks in office, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has laid the foundation for a dramatic rollback of public health and hazardous chemical protections in one of the nation’s most polluted states, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Today the Legislature will consider his nominee to run the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a business consultant with no prior environmental experience who specialized in privatizing public water systems.

“Governor Christie believes that environmental protections are hindering our economic recovery, setting New Jersey on a race to the bottom to reduce pollution controls to a minimum,” stated New Jersey PEER Director Bill Wolfe, a former DEP analyst. “Without offering a shred of evidence that the current economic recession and fiscal crisis are in any way related to environmental protection, Governor Christie has nonetheless embarked on a radical environmental retrenchment on a scale unprecedented in this state.”

Through a series of executive orders and transition plans, the Christie administration has created a “Regulatory Czar” in the Lt. Governor’s Office with veto power over regulations, established a policy to scale back more stringent state rules to federal minimums, announced plans to gut scores of DEP technical guidance documents and issued an order to privatize as many functions as possible, including compliance monitoring.

For example, a long-awaited plan to cut sulfur content in fuel oil, a move with large public health as well as air quality benefits has been blocked after intense oil industry lobbying. In addition –

•The state’s highly-touted greenhouse gas reduction program has put on hold, with funds dedicated to renewable energy diverted;

•Imposed a moratorium on 12 major pending regulations on topics ranging from limits on perchlorate in drinking water to controls on wetlands and coastal zone developments; and

•Existing regulations may be nullified following a cost-benefit review overseen by the Lt. Gov.

Robert Martin, whom Gov. Christie nominated to serve as DEP Commissioner, has a background in finance and worked at the business planning firm Accenture where he specialized in work on privatization and deregulation of water and energy public utility systems.

Martin has stated that he hopes that DEP will play a more active role in promoting economic development, although DEP is a regulatory agency that does not have economic development as part of its legislative mission.

One of two Republican governors elected in 2009, Christie may offer a template of eco-dismantlement for other gubernatorial hopefuls seeking to capitalize on anti-government sentiment. Since many of the DEP programs operate under federal delegation with national minimum standards, Christie’s actions set him on a collision course with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, headed by former DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson.

http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1317

[aquart]

1. Oh, who would have guessed.

New Jersey goes back to being a toxic waste dump.

[blm]

2. Wall Street's corrupt finanial elite didn't collapse the economy, environmentalists did.

The corporate media will help them get away with this revisionism, too.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Unless they reclassified them, Joisey had over 100 Superfund sitres...

and that was about 10% OF THE SITES IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!

Cancer alleys? We had 'em in at least four counties. On a fun day you can drive down the Turnpike and see some guys in moonsuits and test gear wandering around the marshes by Giants Stadium. Can't take pictures, though-- it's always been illegal to take any pictures on the Turnpike.

Christie Whitman, of all people, actually had some interesting environmental initiatives, trying to solve some of the worst problems, but usually got shot down. She was a leader on a multi-state lawsuit against midwestern coal generators for acid rain, though.

Biggest problem was the bureaucracy not being able to get it together-- on example was a guy from AT&T bitching that he had to submit alist of the chemicals in the fish tank in his office. State law said all containers of liquids or chemicals had to be identified and a list made so the firemen knew what was in store for them should fire break out. Problem is, corruption was so rampant that the inspectors were allowed no leeway even for obvious things like fish tanks and coffee urns unless they were specifically listed as exempt. No loopholes open for inspectors to get paid off, they thought.

Anyway, few companies left Joisey because of even the sillier environmental rules-- it was taxes, building&land, and transaction costs that scared them away.

[Tesha]

4. Hey! Folks in New Jersey voted for this shit; it's only fair that they get it. (NT)