Taking a Closer Look at Christie DEP Changes

DEP Commissioner Robert Martin

Under the Christie Administration – with little protest by environmental advocates or media coverage – some of the most crucial and highest priority DEP policies and programs have virtually been abandoned, gutted, downsized, outsourced, and/or foisted off on totally unprepared local governments. They are:

• greenhouse gas emissions reduction
• climate change adaptation planning
• sustainability
• water supply planning
• watershed planning
• Category One waterbody upgrades
• environmental justice
• Drinking Water Quality Institute – drinking water standards
• Surface and ground water quality standards
• Pollution Prevention
• Stricter regulation of Hazardous Air Pollutants
• Regulatory Integration and Reform (AKA “Big Map”)

We have written about all of these debacles.

So instead of further exploration of what has been destroyed under DEP Commissioner Martin’s tenure, after almost 3 years, we thought we might change gears somewhat and take a brief look at the sweeping changes at DEP Commissioner Martin has imposed and explore the vision and priorities he has championed to see how they are working out.

So, to begin the research for that exercise, this week I began filing Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests on the following DEP Offices, programs, and initiatives – we ask for any information readers and DEP employees may have to inform this research phase:

• Office of Permit Coordination – “One Stop shopping”
• Office of Dispute Resolution – “Let’s Make a Deal”
• Office of Science –
• Science Advisory Board –
• Office of Environmental Justice – “cumulative impact method”
• Office of Economic Analysis
• Sustainability and Green Energy
• DEP Transformation
• DEP Goals – The Next Generation of Environmental Management 

(I wonder whatever became of the “performance metrics” Martin talked so much about?)

I plan on at least a week of information gathering before I start to write, so stay posted and please send your cards and letters to me at:

bill_wolfe@comcast.net 

So, a note to DEP press office – be forewarned! Prepare to engage your spin cycle!