Gov. Christie’s Pinelands Packing Plan Suffers Another Embarrassing Setback

Judiciary Committee Lacked Votes to Approve

Gov. Christie’s nominee to the serve on the Pinelands Commission, Robert Barr, was posted for vote of the Senate Judiciary Committee today.

But after a furious round of lobbying by a unified environmental community opposing Barr’s candidacy, at the last minute, just as the hearing began, Judiciary Committee Chairman Scutari announced that Barr would not be considered today.

A member of the Committee told me that they lacked the votes to approve Mr. Barr.

Democrats on the committee are defending the integrity of the Pinelands Commission and are not willing to bow to Gov. Christie and Senate leadership demands.

[Update: 1/27/15 – I just got a comment from a reader about the preceding sentence, correcting my oversight and failure to mention that Republicans helped out as well. I forgot about the strong opposition by Senator Bateman (R-Somerset). So, my apologies to Sen. Bateman for that oversight and my thanks to other Republicans helping out behind the scenes.  ~~~ end update]

This is another huge embarrassment for Gov. Christie’s attempt to oust those who had the integrity and independence to defy him and vote to reject the Gov.’s Pinelands Pipeline by the South Jersey Gas. Co. to re-power the BL England power plant.

Christie has used incredible strong armed tactics – for example, he vindictively killed a Commission approved small raise staff.

Worse, in retaliation, Christie is replacing those independent Commissioners with loyal yes men.

The County’s are doing the same thing with their appointment powers.

South Jersey Gas Co. has close ties to a former member of the Christie Governor’s Office that raise conflict of interest issues, and BL England is represented by the law firm of Wolff  & Samson, another notorious Christie ally at the heart of the Bridgegate scandal.

The last time Mr. Barr was before the Committee in October, along with another Christie nominee, their testimony was so weak and the questioning from Committee members so harsh that, in a highly unusual move, the Chairman abruptly adjourned the hearing and held off public testimony and voting on what certainly would have been a humiliating defeat.

The fact that the the Gov. could repeat that debacle today is astonishing.

I signed up to testify and would have opposed Mr. Barr for 3 reasons:

1) He is not qualified and has expressed no personal or professional interest in the Pinelands.

2) His close personal and political ties to Senator Van Drew, who is currently leading the political campaign to force the Pinelands Commission to reconsider and approve the SJG pipeline, raise major concerns and appearance about his independence and objectivity on the pipeline.

In addition, Barr served as Treasurer to the Cape May democratic Committee and he was involved in handling thousands of dollars of contributions from IBEW and other supporters of the SJG pipeline.

These political ties and financial relationships with politically powerful pipeline supporters would undermine the independence and integrity of the Pinelands Commission and the Comprehensive Management Plan and erode public trust and confidence in the Commission.

3) Given the context and Governor Christie’s extraordinary efforts to strong arm, retaliate and pack the Commission with pipeline supporters and political loyalists, Mr. Barr’s confirmation would bring taint, disrepute, and public condemnation on the Judiciary Committee – and if confirmed – the Senate.

We’ll keep you posted as this develops – but urge folks to continue to keep the pressure on Senate President Sweeney and members of the Committee