This Is What Revolving Door Corruption Looks Like
Murphy DEP Sends An Assistant Commissioner
[Update below – Amended Ethics Complaint]
The NJ Business and Industry Association (NJ BIA) is holding an “Environmental Regulatory Conference” on June 4. The public Registration fee is a cheap lunch, only $185.
You can register and see the mug shots of all the hired guns and former DEP officials at this link.
The speakers include 9 former high level DEP officials, one current, and one Governor’s Office legal counsel:
Chris Daggett (Commissioner); Ray Cantor (Deputy Commissioner); Irene Kropp (Deputy Commissioner); Michele Siekerka (Deputy Commissioner); Dennis Hart (Assistant Commissioner); Dan Kennedy (Assistant Commissioner); Sean Moriarty (Deputy Commissioner); Gary Sondermeyer (Chief of Staff); Ray Bukowski (Assistant Commissioner) and John Valeri (Christie Gov.’s Office). Current Assistant Commissioner Haymes is speaking on site remediation (I’m sure that’s just fine with current Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, who himself is a former corporate lawyer who worked for some of NJ’s largest corporate polluters to defeat DEP enforcement, including site remediation and recovery of natural resource damages).
(I worked with many of these people and could dish a lot of dirt, but for now, will mention only one: Mr. Ray Bukowski was directly involved in a very dirty deal directly involving Donald Trump and he lied about it. He also served as a political hack to defend DEP logging on Sparta Mountain.)
I recently filed an ethics complaint against former Murphy DEP Deputy Commissioner Sean Moriarty for potential violation of post employment restrictions, see:
Ironically, that complaint focuses on ethics restrictions on post employment regarding actions to “provide information not generally available to members of the public” – or inside information.
NJ BIA’s priority regulatory agenda includes land use, site remediation, implementation of the environmental justice regulations, and – my favorite: (emphases mine):
How to Improve DEP Regulatory Programs: Lessons Learned from the Inside and Outside
There have only been a few professionals who both led major regulatory reform efforts while a leader at the DEP, and then left the department for a career in the private sector. What did they learn from their unique experiences and what advice would they offer future department leaders on how to create efficient and effective regulatory programs.
Did you catch that?
NJ BIA is openly celebrating the revolving door.
They are touting the corporate benefits of former DEP officials who “provide information not generally available to members of the public.”
Meanwhile, while the corporate community is hiring former DEP regulators and making significant investments in regulatory policy, the NJ Environmental Community has virtually disappeared from substantive engagement on the regulatory policy scene and devolved to a state of cheerleading the DEP Commissioner.
Seated (L-R) 1) Anjuli Ramos (Sierra Club NJ Chapter) 3) DEP Commissioner LaTourette) 4) Doug O’Mallley (Environment NJ)
The NJ BIA conference is an egregious illustration of revolving door abuse of the public interest.
The fact that they openly brag about that pretty much sums up the current state of corruption of government we are now witnessing.
Not much else I can say right now.
[Full Disclosure: I am a former (for 14 years) DEP professional that “led major regulatory reform efforts while a leader at the DEP”.]
[Update: Amended Ethics Complaint
I just sent this note to the State Ethics Commission:
Dear Ethics Commission – I would like to amend my May 10 complaint below with the following information, which provides additional evidence of potential violations of post employment restrictions.
Former DEP Deputy Commissioner Sean Moriarty is speaking at the June 4 NJ Business and Industry Association conference on “regulatory policy”, see:
https://njbia.org/events/erc2024/
The agenda for that conference includes at least 3 major regulations recently adopted by DEP that Moriarty participated in and directly managed in his portfolio as Deputy Commissioner: 1) environmental justice regulations; and 2) land use regulations, including the flood hazard (inland and coastal) regulations.
He also participated in confidential legal policy deliberations on Natural Resource Damage lawsuits that are currently active and will have prospective effects.
In those capacities, Moriarty obtained sensitive “information not generally available to the public”, and is now selling that information to corporate clients.
I appreciate your prompt and favorable consideration.
Bill Wolfe ~~~ end update]