WolfeNotes.com

I was in Trenton today and wondered what was going on in front of the Statehouse (see above – apologies for poor quality, shot with my phone).

Someone said the Gov. was trying to get back from  a meeting on the second floor and the elevator went down .

State police couldn’t find a helicopter, so this was the rescue operation.

Now we know why he can’t imagine what it’s like to walk a mile in the shoes of regular New Jerseyans: He doesn’t even walk 100 yards in his own.

Star Ledger editorial (6/2/11)

(WARNING: for all you literalists out there, while the Star Ledger editorial excerpt and photo are real, this post is a fake!)

Christie DEP Bay Head Sea Wall Approval Spawns Race to the Bottom

Shock Doctrine: Shore Towns Seek Failed Engineering Solutions

View of Cape May, NJ, from Lighthouse (Nov. 2009)

After Governor Christie’s cheerleading for rebuild, DEP’s abdication of their coastal regulatory responsibilities, and DEP’s recent foolish approval of a 1,300 foot sea wall in Bay Head, stuff like this was inevitable: (Press of Atlantic City)

Cape May mayors rally to strengthen seawall

 

CAPE MAY — Hurricane Sandy may finally provide the argument the city has been searching for to raise the seawall and extend the oceanfront Promenade on the east side of town.

The issue goes back almost two decades and has been broached by at least three mayors. According to Mayor Ed Mahaney, it has been shot down by the state Department of Environmental Protection five times.

Cape May officials not only seek failed engineering solutions that have been rejected several times by NJ DEP, they now double down and are attempting to justify them by appropriating the language of coastal vulnerability assessment and adaptation:

He [Mayor] said the city engineers are just starting to look into how high to extend the seawall to alleviate flooding.

“It’s our weakest link in recent storms,” Mahaney said. “That is the area of greatest vulnerability to us.”

As we’ve noted here, and as other coastal states have learned, sea walls do not work and make the problem worse (see: Memo to Gov. Christie: Sea Walls and Engineering Don’t Work

“New Jersey was really a giant science experiment,” he’d told me.  “New Jersey was the home of some of the first vacation spots and one of the first places to arm their beaches. Thanks to New Jersey we learned that any sort of hard stabilization—sea walls, groins, and jetties—was very damaging to the beach.  We learned that the damage occurs just by building something fixed by the beach—could be a highway, for instance. The problem of beaches is that they are eroding and always moving.  The beach tends to move toward that fixed thing and get narrower and narrower and narrower until it disappears altogether.” […] [Professor Pilkey]

The Cape May Mayor’s warped perspective is part of the political reaction to disasters.

As Naomi Klein wrote in the “Shock Doctrine”, disasters become opportunities for reactionary forces to impose really bad and discredited policies. Recent glaring examples of that are:

• Following the Wall Street collapse, which was enabled by deregulation and lax oversight of financial institutions, right wing forces advocated for further deregulation;

• In the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook school slaughter, the NRA proposed armed police and guns in schools;

• In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, Gov. Christie championed a “Rebuild Now!” strategy

The Cape May Mayor is engaged in classic “shock doctrine” tactics, by seeking DEP approval of a sea wall that they have soundly rejected previously, numerous times.

And given the DEP’s recent approval of a sea wall in Bay Head, the Mayor just may get that approval this time around.

The current Christie/Martin DEP’s extremely bad coastal policy agenda is one of the best reasons to establish an independent regional Coastal Commission to manage the shore redevelopment and climate change adaptation planning process.

Instead of sea walls, here’s what we flagged almost 3 years ago, that needs to be the focus on the discussion.

The above Cape May photo accompanied this Nov. 16, 2009 report

JERSEY SHORE HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO STORMS AND SEA LEVEL RISE

Environmentalists Urge Corzine Administration to Include Global Warming and Land Use Reforms in Pending Insurance Industry Bailout

TRENTON- As Corzine Administration officials met quietly behind closed doors with insurance and finance industry leaders to discuss a statewide insurance fund to finance catastrophic shore storm risks, environmentalists called on the Governor to incorporate much needed coastal development and global warming policy reforms in any industry bailout package.

Numerous scientific studies and NJDEP Reports show that the over-developed NJ shore is increasingly vulnerable to hurricane and storm related wind, storm surge, and flooding damage. Those risks are magnified by the effects of global warming induced sea level rise. NJ already is among the worst states in the nation for payouts on repeat claims under the federal flood insurance program. While risks are great and growing, DEP’s own studies show that public awareness is low, and local and state disaster planning and emergency response capabilities are woefully inadequate.

Despite these significant risks, continued over-development, particularly in known high hazard areas along the shore, puts more people and property in harms way, greatly increasing not only risks to life and property. The probability is increasing for a catastrophic coastal storm event that would cause huge economic dislocation.

The multi-billion dollar scope of the problem and potential insurance liability has led insurance industry leaders to withdrawn from insurance markets in the tri-state region, and to seek a public bailout of insured liability.

[read the specific recommendations here]

 Cornell ECAC Tournament Hockey Underway – My 43rd Year

Cornell Big Red line up, game 2, Hobey Baker Rink Princeton (3/9/13)

It’s that time of year again – Cornell in the ECAC hockey playoffs!

I saw my first Cornell hockey game at Lynah Rink 43 years ago – in 1970 – when I was in 8th grade and the tape and water boy for the high school hockey team.

My HS hockey team got crushed by Ithaca HS in a 2 game weekend series, but we got to see Cornell play arch rival Boston University. Unbelievable and memorable to this day.

Ken Dryden was in goal, and Cornell finished unbeaten that year, on the way to winning the NCAA National Championship. Dryden went on to play for the Montreal Canadiens.

I’ve followed Cornell hockey ever since and ended up going to Grad School there. After graduating HS, I went to college at rival Clarkson, and found the Cornell fans annoying. But, I didn’t survive Clarkson engineering and the North Country winters, and ended up graduating a little closer to Ithaca, in Binghamton, NY.

My X played women’s hockey at Cornell. My son saw his first Cornell ECAC playoff hockey when he was just 8 weeks old, in Boston Garden (1989).

When the ECAC tournament shifted from the Garden to Lake Placid, I would take him for a weekend of hockey, snowboarding (for him) and beer (for me). When it then shifted to Albany NY, we still went for a quick day in the Adirondacks.

The tournament left Albany for Atlantic City, NJ 3 years ago, and all I can say is that I’m delighted to hear that it will return to Lake Placid next year for a 3 year stint that I hope will be made permanent.

So, yes, you could say I have an emotional attachment to Cornell hockey.

#9 seeded Cornell eliminated #8 Princeton last night 3-2 score, in a 2 game sweep, and move on to play either #1 Quinnipiac or #2 seed RPI next weekend. Pics below:

Cornell's first goal - look closely and see the puck in the back of the net, just under crossbar

brutal cross check to the head, right in front of official - no call.

Cornell players salute their loyal fans before leaving ice

 FEMA Maps Underestimate Risks Due to Climate Change

storm slashes NJ coast on day of DEP Sandy hearing (Long Branch, NJ - 3/7/13)

Last evening, DEP held an “after the fact” public hearing in Long Branch on Governor Christie’s decision to adopt FEMA draft Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps by DEP Emergency Rule.

(see Star Ledger and Bergen Record coverage).

The DEP Emergency Rule is now legally in effect.

But DEP also concurrently proposed the emergency rule for public comment.

DEP has 3 options at this point in time:

1) allow the emergency rule to stand as is;

2) withdraw the emergency rule in its entirety; or

3) amend the emergency rule in light of public comments and additional review.

The majority of the public criticism of the Emergency Rule is focused on two issues:

1) technically, the mapped “V” zones, where wave action is a risk; and

2) procedurally, why did Governor Christie direct DEP to adopt the DRAFT FEMA ABFE maps before FEMA fully vetted it scientifically and before the V zone wave action model had been complete and validated?

I testified about significant issues that are being ignored by FEMA, DEP and the media. I’ll keep it simple:

The FEMA DRAFT ADVISORY maps that DEP adopted by Emergency rule UNDERESTIMATE RIKS and do NOT account for:  

1. the actual flood elevations experienced during Sandy, because the map were prepared PRIOR to Sandy;

2. the flood elevations projected to occur due to sea level rise; and

3. the projected flood elevations and storm surge projected to occur as a result of climate change induced “extreme weather” – larger and more powerful storm;

4. FEMA Climate Change Adaptation Policy and President Obama’s Executive Order direct FEMA to consider these factors (#1-3)

5. As a result, when FEMA finalizes the DRAFT ADVISORY maps, the flood zones will very likely get LARGER and the elevations will go HIGHER.

See last week’s Rutgers maps as an illustration.

People need to know this BEFORE they make decisions to rebuild, lest we repeat the tragic mistakes of the past. For details and links to the DEP and FEMA documents and Obama EO, see:

Rutgers Sea Level Rise Maps Being Ignored by DEP

The DEP Hearing Officer, Ray Cantor, repeatedly distanced the Department from the emergency rule, and several times interjected in response to testimony .

Cantor repeatedly stressed that “if” the DEP adopted the emergency rule, thereby sending a clear signal that the DEP may just toss the whole thing out.

My take at this point is that the Governor will kill either the V wave zone designations, or the emergency rule in its entirely. And he will do it soon, to put the issue to bed before the fall election.

Whatever DEP does, however, it is clear that the Governor’s decision to adopt a FEMA draft  maps as an emergency rule was a bad judgement.

How this plays out is complex.

Regardless of the emergency rule, the risks exist. So, whether financial institutions and insurance companies ignore the emergency rule as amended or withdrawn is an open question.  More to follow.

[update below]

this is what flood risk looks like (Trautman's Creek, Long Branch, NJ)

The Star Ledger story ignored my testimony, but included a photo of it (with Tony D.’s head in foreground!). I’d prefer a quote over a photo. I’ll make just one point – with the exception of Jeff Tittel of Sierra Club, the coastal advocates and the environmental community were again AWOL. Their choice not to anticipate in this rule making is shocking – just a shocking abdication. Climate change and coastal land use are too big to ignore.

Bill Wolfe, Director of NJ PEER, testifies. Why does ledger photo lack a caption? (Source: Star Ledger)

$100 Million AshBritt No Bid Debris Removal Contract to be Focus

Debris Removal Just The Tip of the Iceberg

Joint Assembly and Senate Oversight Committees will hold a hearing today (starts 1:30 pm) on the Christie Administration’s preparation and response to Superstorm Sandy – today’s hearing will focus on debris removal (you can listen here).

We are extremely pleased, because we called for legislative oversight hearings on these issues 4 months ago:

Commissioner Martin should be called before legislative oversight hearings to explain and defend his priorities

John Reitmeyer at the Bergen Record has a good set up story on a basic and across the board point we have been trying to make for months now – the lack of preparation and the dismantling, delegation and outsourcing of State programs to prepare and respond, see:

 Lack of emergency contract left N.J. scrambling after Sandy

By the time superstorm Sandy hit, some states along the North Atlantic had emergency debris-removal contracts waiting in place for the next weather disaster that experience told them was bound to come.

New Jersey absorbed the same lessons delivered by events like Hurricane Irene in 2011, but it reacted in a different way.

Instead of arranging its own emergency contract, it directed local governments to put arrangements together themselves. And Sandy’s devastation led the state to piggyback on a massive contract awarded years before by Connecticut to AshBritt, a Florida-based disaster recovery firm with close ties to Haley Barbour, one of Governor Christie’s key allies.

Why that contract was struck, and why the state didn’t have its own in place and one worked out through competitive bidding in New Jersey during a less fraught period, will be at the center of what could be a heated hearing of the joint legislative oversight committee today.

But, as we’ve been writing for months, debris removal is just the tip of a huge iceberg of bad policy, mismanagement, and incompetence.

So, to set the broader context and challenge legislators and media to ask tougher questions, we repost these prior reports.

The posts have links to most of the warnings that were either ignored or downplayed and the State DEP responsibilities that were neglected, dismantled, outsourced, or delegated (hit the blue links to open):

• Leadership Matters – How DEP Buried Report on Coastal Storm Risks

DEP Neutered Its Own Coastal Management Professionals and Programs

Climate Adaptation Work Like the Proverbial Tree Falling in the Forest

Commissioner Martin should be called before legislative oversight hearings

• The Deafness Before the Storm

Christie DEP Ignored Multiple Warnings on Imminent Coastal Storm Risks

• Catastrophic Failures and Catastrophic Fools