NJ: The Odd State Out

Christie Administration Rejects Climate Change and Coastal Planning

While NJ Has Head in Sand, Surrounding States Implementing Programs

[Update below]

Covering some of the ground I’ve plowed for over a year now, NJ Spotlight has a killer story today, exposing many of the major policy failures of the Christie administration with respect to coastal planning and recovery and a failure to address the risks of sea level rise and climate change, see:

NJ SANDY RECOVERY FAILS TO CONSIDER LONG-TERM CLIMATE PREDICTIONS

For the first time, we get a look at how dangerously out of touch Gov. Christie is, as Scott Gurian reports on the climate change and coastal planning programs being implemented in neighboring states: New York, Connecticut, Delaware & Maryland.

Gov. Christie compounds this backwardness and reckless denial with his exit from RGGI and complete dismantling of NJ’s efforts to implement the 2007 Global Warming Response Act.

Similarly, I’ve contrasted New York and Gov. Cuomo’s leadership with Gov. Christie’s denial and mentioned coastal management and adaptation planning efforts in Massachusetts and North Carolina – as well as pounded on the fact that NJ is the only northeastern state without a climate change adaptation plan.

In addition to this state level failure by Gov. Christie, there are national ramifications.

As Tom Johnson reported, President Obama just signed an Executive Order  “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change”

Surely, Congress and federal agencies will be guided by that and not be opening the federal treasury with future Sandy like bailouts, especially for laggard states like NJ.

But while it is superb, the NJ Spotlight story is exactly one year too late.

Where was this reporting and NJ Future when it mattered? (I hate to be harsh, but this includes Professor Broccoli who is featured in Gurian’s piece).

Like a year ago, when policy was being established, the Sandy Czar created, Congressional money appropriated, DEP regulations adopted, etc.?

Had the Gov. faced strong pushback from planning and environmental advocates, media, and Democrats at the time he was making decisions, things might have worked out very differently.

At this point, the most effective approach is to take the entire set of issues out of the Christie administration’s hands – they are in denial and will not change, that would amount to a huge admission of huge error.

To do that, I suggest the following:

• 1) Pass Senator Barnes’ legislation to create a Coastal Commission – this bill includes land use planning powers and needs to include a mandate to “strategic retreat” and climate change and sea level rise.

Make this a priority and conduct a full court press to put the bill on the Gov.’s desk by June.

• 2) Enact enabling legislation to authorize Towns and regional planning bodies like the Pinelands and Highlands and HMC to plan and regulate based on Global Warming Response Act emission reduction goals and authorize them to conduct adaptation planning and regulation.

This would include all the local and regional authorities than manage infrastructure and water resources, solid waste, energy, transportation, housing, etc.

State level DEP and BPU action will have to wait for a new administration.

In the meantime, we ca get going along the coast and at the local and regional level – but we will never get there via the voluntary program of Sustainable NJ.

[Update:

One more important point i need to make: while I appreciate the fact that NJ Future is working on these issues and doing some good state level program benchmarking, I get absolutely disgusted by remarks like this:

Sturm thinks it was understandable that long-term planning wasn’t on most people’s radars in the immediate aftermath of the storm. “They didn’t have the capacity. They were responding to a true emergency,” she said. “But I think we’re past that point now. And we see other states stepping forward, engaging in planning and figuring out how to prioritize limited funding to make sure we’re getting the biggest bang for our buck.” Compared to its neighbors in the region, she fears New Jersey has fallen behind the pack

That is revisionist nonsense and it provides an excuse for failures by DEP and Gov. Christie to heed and act on warnings.

It also provides a pass for dismantling and ignoring climate and coastal management programs and initiatives that were in place PRIOR to Sandy that would have helped reduce the impacts of Sandy and provided a framework for Sandy response.

So, I was being kind to NJ Future in my mild criticism above. – end update.