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After DEP Lawsuit to Block NOAA Sonic Research, Christie Administration Silent on Obama Plan

Is Christie Protecting the NJ Shore?

Or Preserving His Access To Oil & Gas Industry Presidential Campaign Cash?

It’s been a week now since we’ve been bombarded by headlines like this:

• Obama Administration Opens Eastern Seaboard To Oil Drilling Survey

So where is Governor Christie?

Where are the coastal protection groups and shore legislators demanding that Gov. Christie step up and fight the Obama plan?

Where’s the bi-partisan letter from former Gov.’s Kean, Whitman, Byrne, Florio, & McGreevey about how bad an idea the Obama fossil plan is for the NJ shore – and the carbon constrained future of our increasingly warming planet?

Given all the Gov.’s shore promotional events, why isn’t the press hounding him for his position?

Where is the high profile press conference at the shore, with a defiant Gov. Christie standing with coastal groups and drawing a line in the sand, now that he finally has his fight with the Obama Administration on an environmental issue, a fight he welcomed during the 2009 Gubernatorial campaign (watch You Tube video of that), where the Christie candidate famously laid down the gauntlet:

I’ve got a feeling that you will see a lot of battles between the Christie Administration DEP and the Obama EPA.

(a potential fight, BTW, that the Obama EPA has run away from).

Back on March 31, 2010, before he was running for President, Gov. Christie issued a statement opposing the Obama plan:

“I oppose the idea of drilling off the coast of New Jersey,” Governor Christie said, noting that the President’s proposal thus far includes areas off Virginia and the northern tip of Delaware near Cape May in the Delaware Bay. “New Jersey’s coastline is one of our economic engines and I would have to be really convinced of both the economic viability and environmental safety of oil and gas exploration off our coast. At this point, I’m not convinced of either.’

Has he been convinced since then?

Energy industry money to fuel a run for President can be very convincing.

Gov. Christie’s current silence on the Obama plan is especially stunning, given how aggressively his DEP opposed a far less significant climate change research proposal by NOAA & Rutgers using similar seismic technology.

His DEP issued press releases and the Attorney General filed a lawsuit to block that:

The Christie Administration is taking legal action to halt a federally approved seismic ocean survey that is scheduled to start this month off the New Jersey coast, and which could adversely impact the state’s vital tourism and fishing industries, and marine life, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin announced today. […]

“We must carefully safeguard those resources, which play such a key role in our state’s $40 billion tourism industry, for the benefit of our residents, businesses and the environment,’’ Commissioner Martin said. “The Christie Administration continues to focus on clean ocean water quality, protecting our coastline and working to enhance our coastal recreation and fishing industries.”

When DEP summarily lost that legal challenge, in an unusual move, as soon as the decision came down the DEP immediately announced that the State would appeal: (DEP press release)

TRENTON – The Christie Administration will appeal today’s U.S. District Court ruling that allows seismic testing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to move forward despite concerns raised by the State that the survey could adversely impact New Jersey’s vital tourism and fishing industries, and harm fish and marine mammals, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bob Martin said today.

“This ruling is very disappointing to the Administration, and could have a negative impact on the ocean and its wildlife,” Commissioner Martin said. “The DEP believes this research, which would use loud, powerful sound blasts to map the ocean floor, will likely have a detrimental effect on New Jersey’s fisheries and marine mammals. We must take no chances when it comes to protecting our ocean resources, our commercial and recreational fishing, and our state’s $40 billion tourism economy.  A healthy ocean is vital to our residents, our visitors, and our businesses.”

I was amazed at all the attention and opposition the NOAA/Rutgers research project got, while there was virtual silence on the far more damaging Obama BOEM sonic survey work to support off shore oil and gas development.

In addition to the DEP lawsuit, Christie Administration friendly NJ coastal advocacy groups mounted a huge campaign.

Yet, they both did NOTHING publicly to try to stop the Obama BOEM off shore oil & gas drilling work.

So, where is Gov. Christie now?

Does he oppose Obama off shore drilling?

Or is he running for President on oil & gas industry money?

We think we know the answer – and its the same for off shore LNG.

[End Note: Jim O’Neill’s Record story let Christie off the hook – see:

Governor Christie has said he opposes drilling off the New Jersey coast, and has also expressed displeasure with the thought of oil rigs off Virginia or Delaware’s coast, just miles from Cape May.

Yes, I’m sure Cindy Zipf told O’Neill that Christie “has said” that – but, as I note above, a long time ago and before he was running for President. Cindy played the same game of cover on off shore LNG, citing Christie’s prior veto.

What does he say NOW?

 

 

New Roxbury REACT Trenton Billboard – Co-Sponsored by the Highlands Coalition

REACT (for the Roxbury Environmental Action Coalition), the citizens group in Roxbury, formed to wage the campaign in response to the Christie DEP’s Fenimore landfill fiasco, has done a superb job.

They rock!

And they have set new standards for local grassroots organizing, research, activism, media, and overall effectiveness.

Above is their most recent move, a billboard in Trenton, which sets the stage for what I am told will be a July 29 rally in Trenton.

Great work, again, but with one significant flaw which unfortunately I must mention –  and which I know is not the result of REACT’s work.

The Highlands Coalition is co-sponsoring and likely funding the billboard, which I assume is in the same location as their prior billboards, just outside the DEP building on State Street.

The Highlands Coalition has done several similar billboards, and in all cases, they very prominently named specific individuals, with their photos: i.e. Senator Smith, Assemblyman McKeon (sponsors of the Highlands Act), Senator Bateman, Governors Byrne and Kean (and perhaps Florio, but curiously, I don’t recall McGreevey, who championed and signed the Highlands Act), and even former Highland Council Executive Director Eileen Swan (but not DEP Commissioners Brad Campbell who let me be on OLS team that drafted the Act or Lisa Jackson who signed the Highlands regulations or John Weingart who oversaw adoption of the first Highlands Regional Master Plan), to name the ones I can recall off the top of my head.

[Clarification: I just got a note from a friend advising that Senator Bateman voted against the Highlands Act  and questioning why the Highlands Coaltion would recognize him – so I wanted to clarify that and note that I was merely listing the billboard named individuals I could recall, but did it in a confusing way on the Highlands Act. Sorry.]

So how is it possible that they somehow failed to mention the Government official solely responsible for the “Common Sense” environmental policy that they obviously ridicule in the billboard?

Why would they not want to focus on the person responsible and hold them accountable?

That person would be Governor Christie, who used that exact billboard “Common Sense” phrase in Executive Order #2, his first official act issued in the first hour of his first day in office.

EO #2 even explains how “Common Sense” was to be implemented – i.e. by providing “regulatory relief” – which is the DEP hands off policy that led to the Fenimore disaster –

Here is EO#2

WHEREAS, I am now establishing “Common Sense Principles” for State rules and regulations that will give this State the opportunity to energize and encourage a competitive economy to benefit businesses and ordinary citizens;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHRIS CHRISTIE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes in this State, do hereby, ORDER AND DIRECT all agencies, boards, commissions, departments and authorities over which the Governor has the power to veto minutes (collectively “State agencies”) to implement and adhere to the following Common Sense Principles:

1. For immediate relief from regulatory burdens, State agencies shall:

An old adage says: “never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to”.

Well, I asked the question above so I’ll answer it now here.

My reliable sources tell me that the Highlands Coalition funded the billboard, and the good folks at REACT had little role.

My reliable sources also tell me that the Highlands Coalition, long ago, was told to”tone it down” in terms of criticism of Governor Christie, by Chris Daggett, head of the Dodge Foundation, a major NJ funder.

That is another example of a Foundation funder inappropriately directing the day to day activities of an environmental group for purely political reasons.

This kind of gross manipulation behind the scenes, using the leverage of money, is proliferating and it is disgusting.

There you see, we name names, and tell it like it is –  and that’s exactly why we receive no Foundation money.

[PS – and in addition to setting the overall “Common Sense” regulatory policy, Gov. Christie appointed those who implemented it:

• DEP Commissioner Martin, a failed NJ Senate Republican candidate and retired corporate consultant with no environmental training or experience, went even further on the Gov.’s “regulatory relief” policy to alter the DEP’s Mission to include promotion of economic development and “customer service” (the regulated community – not the public – being the “customer”). DEP made major mistakes, ignored science, and bent plenty of regulations promoting the Fenimore scheme;  and

• Highlands Council Chairman (and Roxbury Mayor) Jim Rilee, who was appointed despite his opposition to the Highlands Act and who exempted the Fenimore project from Highlands Council review.

[Clarification: another friend notes that Mr. Rilee recused from Fenimore issues. I know he recused recently but I don’t know if he recused on other, older, Fenimore related HC issues. Regardless, this needs to be clarified to say that thew Highlands Council, which Rilee heads and has significant influence on regardless of formal recusal, exempted the Fenimore landfill from review.]

Both Martin and Rilee are personally loyal to Christie, before the science, the law, or the public interest.

Why Are Skate Parks Located Next To Police Stations?

 

 

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made…”   ~~~  The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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)

Many people – myself included – were deeply offended by Gov. Christie’s veto of gun clip legislation and his outrageous slur that the bill was “trivial”.  And all this was closely followed by his sociopathic selection of Connecticut as a place to hold a fundraiser.

Thankfully, those sentiments were picked up in most press reports (watch good video interview by SL’s Brian Donohue)

Christie’s divisive tactics are way beyond insensitive, and are reminiscent of the ugly NRA protests in places shortly after gun slaughters, or of Ronald Reagan kicking off the 1980 Presidential campaign in Neshoba County Mississippi with a State’s rights message.

Simply put, like the classic demagogue, Christie is cynically doubling down – he’s intentionally going out of his way to stick a finger in the eye, intentionally wound political opponents, and send a political message about his so called “strong leadership”.

This is the ugly way Christie rolls.

And, while the NJ media is well aware of all that, they are afraid to write that story and instead write about his reputation for “strong leadership” and “straight shooting”, hometown cheerleading that is helping CHrisite frame his nation media narrative as he seeks the 2016 nomination.

But, there are far deeper and more profound problems illustrated by the Christie visit to Greenwich that are being totally ignored by the both the national and NJ press corps – many of whom, aside from the limits imposed by their corporate owners and timid editors, seem genuinely oblivious – and virtually all of the protesters at yesterday’s event (myself excluded, of course!).

It’s about the shocking facts of growing concentrations of vast wealth and income and increasing inequality, the destruction of the middle class, and the arrogance of power of corrupt money in our politics.

About corporations and billionaire’s buying our democracy – the 0.01 percent (no typo, 1/100th of 1%)

About corrupt politicians following the money and serving special interests, not the public interest.

About an economy built on Wall Street finance that is killing main street.

About a culture of materialism, accumulation, and conspicuous consumption.

About the privatization and appropriation of public space.

About the rich seeking to carve out private enclaves in hopes of shielding themselves from the riff raff and from the growing chaos their wealth and power are creating for the rest of us. I got mine jack, screw you. A pathological lack of empathy.

Greenwich shows us all of that pathology – and more – in spades.

With all these dynamics so obviously destroying our democracy and the planet, it takes an incredible, even sociopathic, Chutzpa to hold a fundraiser in a private gated community in the home of a Wall Street hedge fund manager.

• My Greenwich Adventure – Off To The Gated Land

That’s why I wandered off to Greenwich yesterday – and in doing so, I managed to pierce the veil and get a peek inside this sheltered private world of privilege. Take a look at what I saw.

I brought my bicycle and arrived early so I could get a lay of the land.  I wanted to see how The Gated Ones lived and consumed. My first sight was a yatch that looked like it was out for an afternoon shopping spree:

The ferry you see here was no typical ferry. It was restricted to Greenwich residents – no Gilligan’s Island 3 hour tour – they took special passengers – not the public – to two private islands, where I was told there were small public beaches, but only for Greenwich’s wealthy residents.

I then took a walk in downtown Greenwich, which makes Princeton look like modest:

Here’s what it looks like inside, where decorative moss gets intimate attention:

After that tour, I proceeded to literally crash the gates of Belle Haven, where The Gated Ones live:

After deceiving and driving past the guards, I was able to look at some of the homes of The Gated Ones – the spirit of Jay Gatsby was so alive, I almost sensed he would pop out from behind a tree down by the “The Club”:

I got a close up view of the children of The Gated Ones – innocently safe and secure in their wealth and privilege, defended by private security guarded gates. As these folks wage Class War and slash spending on public schools, social programs, and public parks and rereation and public spaces, they make sure to lavishly take care of their own:

The Gated Ones live in large castles:

With long driveways lined by mature trees:

Their estates are defended by ostentations displays:

As I finished the loop of the community of The Gated Ones, I stopped my bike for a drink of water and took out the camera – The Gated Ones don’t allow photography of their Private Property:

I rather think you’ve got the picture by now, yes?

So what continues to boggle my mind is how any middle or working class person – the disenfranchised 99% – could vote for this corruption and why the corporate media is not denounced  and shamed for embracing, not exposing and criticizing this corruption.

So, are these the “Beautiful People”?