WolfeNotes.com

Let me make an important point by way of comparison. I fudged the Cheney hypothetical slightly to fit NJ, and names have not been changed to protect the innocent.
Suppose Dick Cheney called his energy industry cronies and lobbyists to serve on an “Energy Reform Task Force”. Suppose, after public criticism, Cheney appointed a few token environmentalists to provide some balance and cover. Suppose that Task Force meetings were closed to the public and the Task Force given free reign to probe the EPA bureaucracy, including the EPA staff and management that regulate the energy industry. This includes access to EPA staff with current ongoing regulation (i.e. permit review) of a Task Force member company.
Then suppose this “Task Force” issued a “Report” that ignored global warming and told an historical fairy tale that over-regulation, EPA bureaucracy, and lawsuits by radical environmental obstructionist were the causes of the high cost of energy (e.g. by blocking refinery expansion and drilling/leases for oil/gas reserves off shore and on public lands).
Suppose the “Task Force” noted a 25% cut in EPA staff, lack of scientific expertise at EPA, and pervasive politicization of EPA decisions – but took no steps to fix those problems, instead recommending that EPA must “do less with less”, while relying on “outside help” of energy consultants to issue EPA permits.
Environmental groups would be denouncing the Task Force and holding press conferences leading to front page NY TImes and Washington Post news, no?
Well, the same thing has just occurred here in NJ and it has fallen under the media radar. I would think this would be even more newsworthy given the purported pro-environmental stance of the Corzine administration, as opposed to the obviously anti-environmental Bush/Cheney regime.
Read all about it below – just insert “Lisa Jackson” for “Dick Cheney” and “developers” for the “energy industry”:
Business Report to DEP: “Do Less With Less”
Do you want less environmental protection?
“In this time of fiscal crisis, the challenge before the DEP is to … consider doing less with less”
Permit Efficiency Task Force Report to DEP – see: http://www.nj.gov/dep/permittf/docs/final_report_8_7_08.pdf
Today, – over a month late – DEP released the long awaited Report of the “Permit Efficiency Task Force”.
In anticipation of the release of this Report, on August 6, 2008, the day before the Report was due, I wrote this:
Controversial DEP Task Force Report Due
Stage Set – Deadline for Industry dominated Report tomorrow
http://blog.nj.com/njv_bill_wolfe/2008/08/controversial_dep_reform_task.html

Bill WolfeLisa P. Jackson, DEP Commissioner

Back in March, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson issued an Order creating the “Permit Efficiency Task Force”. Jackson directed the Task Force to issue recommendations on ways to streamline DEP permit programs. Task Force members read like a who’s who list of pro-development Trenton insiders with a long history in NJ environmental politics. (for the 19 original members, see: http://www.peer.org/docs/nj/08_25_3_task_force_membership.pdf
After our criticism of the business dominated composition, Jackson expanded the 19 member body to include 3 environmental group representatives. The reader of the Task Force Report would not be aware of this history, because only the final 24 member body is presented.
Read the full story, with links to documents here:
http://blog.nj.com/njv_bill_wolfe/2008/09/business_dominated_task_force.html