NJ Gov. Murphy Nominates Former Corporate & Fossil Energy Lawyer As DEP Commissioner – Exposes The Green Grifters

Appearance By Murphy’s Wife Is Quid Pro Quo For Praise In Gov.’s Press Release

A Classic Example of “Progressive Neoliberalism” In Action 

NJ Gov. Murphy nominated current Acting DEP Commissioner Shawn Latourette for DEP Commissioner. His appointment requires Senate confirmation.

There is no doubt – none – that Senate confirmation is a done deal, because LaTourette served the political interests of Senate President Sweeney in, among other things, working as a corporate lawyer who quietly and successfully secured DEP permits for a controversial major fossil energy project. The fossil LNG export project is in Sweeney’s south jersey backyard and is strongly supported by Sweeney’s Norcross machine and labor friends.

That project is so bad that is has become a national controversy and a divisive wedge issue in the labor – climate emergency – just transition debate, see this Washington Post story:

• Proposal to build LNG terminal on Delaware River could pose early test for the Biden administration – Environmentalists oppose the controversial project, but labor unions endorse it

Heckofajob Shawn!

Gov. Murphy’s press release announcing the nomination misleadingly portrays LaTourette as a public interest champion and fails to mention the fact that he was a corporate lawyer and represented some of NJ’s biggest corporate polluters, including the controversial LNG export facility.

The Gov.’s press release included strong supporting statements by the folks I call NJ’s corrupt Green Mafia. They include:

• Kim Gaddy, Clean Water Action (formerly NJ Environmental Federation, the corrupt group that endorsed Christie in 2009)
• Eric Stiles, NJ Audubon (he entered into a “partnership” with & praised Trump, and logs State preserved forests in the Highlands)
• Ed Potasnak, NJ LCV (Keep It Green grifter that lied about theft of DEP & State Park Funds & regularly provided green cover for Murphy)
• Peter Kasaback, NJ Future (the group that secretly worked with Gov. Christie to privatize development at Liberty State Park)

The false praise of these corrupt Green Mafia members exposes their opportunistic and transactional politics. They all rely on DEP for funding and all are looking forward to DEP for other selfish favors. It’s absolutely disgusting how obvious it is.

Here’s the worst illustration of that corruption.

Despite the fact that the Murphy “environmental justice” legislation is seriously flawed, that DEP has not prioritized adoption of regulations required to implement the law, and that LaTourette lied to an EJ community and falsely blamed EJ activists about a chemical experiment in this EJ community, Kim Gaddy of CWA praised LaTourette.

Predictably, just one day later, CWA announced a “surprise guest” appearance by First Lady Tammy Murphy at their annual conference this Saturday. This is what corrupt transactional politics looks like. CWA today (4/15) wrote:

We are excited to announce that surprise guest First Lady Tammy Murphy will be joining us tomorrow to kick off our 35th annual conference Upholding Democracy for a Healthy Environment, beginning at 9:30 AM this Saturday 4/17. Register now to join, and please share with your colleagues and environmental leaders!

After an introduction from the First Lady and a special video message from Senator Cory Booker, we’ll dive right into the keynote conversation with Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman!

Does it get any more corrupt than that?

It is remarkable that none of the media coverage mentioned the fact that Mr. LaTourette served as a lawyer for the energy company that quietly secured DEP permits for a controversial LNG export plant on the Delaware River

He then joined DEP just days after DEP issued  final  permits. It’s worse than revolving door, because the door can’t revolve that fast!

Am I the only one who read his ethics disclosure and recusal documents? Who can speak truth to power?

Here are some very different assessments of Mr. Latourette:

• NJ Gov. Murphy’s Acting DEP Commissioner Worked For Fortress Energy On LNG Export Project

• Murphy DEP Secretly Approved A Trump EPA Chemical Experiment In an EJ Community, Then They Attacked The Public For Objecting

• In Walking Back Absurd Climate Remarks, Murphy DEP Goes From The Frying Pan To The Fire

Mr. LaTourette is a corporate Neoliberal (and I’ll bet that he’s so poorly ededucated that he doesn’t even know it).

He is a classic example of what Professor Nancy Fraser describes as “Progressive Neoliberalism” – hiding corporate neoliberal ideology behind identity politics.