WolfeNotes.com

Despite Staff Shortfall, Commission Has More Staff Assigned To “Business Services” Than To Science – And NONE With Climate Expertise

More Evidence That Gov. Murphy’s Climate Program Is All Spin, No Substance

I’ve long urged the Pinelands Commission to take serious actions to amend the Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) to address climate science and implement enforceable energy, climate, wildfire, and forestry policies.

The lack of climate policies and enforceable CMP requirements again was exposed recently during the Commission’s review and approval of a DEP Forestry Plan.

That DEP Forestry plan, among other things, purported to justify logging 1,400 acres of forest as part of a “carbon defense” climate policy.

During the Commission’s review of the DEP plan, regulatory staff manager Chuck Horner openly admitted on the public record that the Commission lacked staff expertise in critical areas (forestry, wildfire, climate) and therefore deferred to DEP’s expertise.

It is absurd for a regulatory agency to defer to the expertise of an applicant seeking their regulatory approval.

So, given these self acknowledged staff deficits, I was appalled to read the Commission’s most recent February Monthly Management Report, where they again openly admit crucial staff deficits on climate related issues:

• Interagency Council on Climate Change (IAC): Staff attended two meetings in February for IAC action, one on February 8, and the second on February 14, 2023. At the February 8 meeting, the Executive Director and a member of the Planning Office staff met with the NJ Deputy Climate Resilience Officer (DCRO). Staff confirmed the IAC’s receipt of the revised Pinelands Commission “Agency at a Glance” summary, advised the DCRO of upcoming staff shortages at the Commission that may inhibit the Commission’s ability to meet all IAC deliverable deadlines, and reviewed the timeline for completion of agency Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plans.

Governor Murphy’s Interagency Council on Climate Change (IAC) is not an aggressive policy initiative, so the Pinelands Commission can’t even clear a very low bar.

The IAC is really about consolidating, centralizing, and assuring top down policy and political control of climate policy by the Governor’s Office.

It is designed to keep all State agencies from getting out in front of the Governor or DEP on climate policy. The Governor wants unilateral control and a free hand to issue self serving and highly spun press releases and Executive Orders on climate.

As a result, the IAC is an unwieldy and unaccountable group of bureaucrats that are doing nothing more than slow walking climate policy and politically protecting Gov. Murphy.

The fact that an independent planning and regulatory agency like the Pinelands Commission can not act on climate without a Green Light from the Governor’s Office and his IAC should outrage all climate activists and advocates of good government.

Worse, after I had received and read the Commission’s Monthly Management Report, today I received a “Pinelands Job Opportunities!” announcement from the Commission. They are seeking 2 new professional staff, but not in any climate science or planning related field.

Despite just admitting that they lacked adequate staff to implement the Governor’s climate goals and policy initiatives, they are hiring a traditional civil engineer and another information specialist!

WTF!

The Commission’s Organization Chart exposes the fact that they have more staff in “Business Services” (5) and “Information Systems” (5) than in Science (4) – and none in climate science.

That does not reflect a serious response to the climate emergency, by both the Pinelands Commission and Governor Murphy’s office and IAC.

So, I fired off this note to the Pinelands Commission (and a similar note to the Highlands Council that I will write about in future). I don’t expect a reply:

Dear Pinelands Commission and Executive Director Grogan:

According to the Commission’s February Monthly Management Report: (emphasis mine)

“Staff confirmed the IAC’s receipt of the revised Pinelands Commission “Agency at a Glance” summary, advised the DCRO of upcoming staff shortages at the Commission that may inhibit the Commission’s ability to meet all IAC deliverable deadlines, and reviewed the timeline for completion of agency Extreme Heat Resilience Action Plans.”

https://www.nj.gov/pinelands/infor/online/Feb_2023_Mgt_Rpt_%20FINAL.pdf

According the the Commission’s Organizational chart, there are more staff (5 in each) in “Information Systems” and “Business Services” than in Science (4):

https://www.nj.gov/pinelands/images/pdf%20files/chart.pdf.

During the recent debate on DEP’s Wildfire Plan, Chuck Horner stated on the public record that the Commission lacked stafff expertise in forestry, wildfire, and climate science. Those deficits forced the Commission to defer to the DEP expertise (deference to the expertise on an applicant seeking regulatory approval is, at best, mismanagement.)

For years, I’ve been urging the Commission to beef up its climate science and planning staff and functions to respond to the climate crisis, yet the Commission still has NO STAFF with climate expertise and experience.

So, given these critical staff deficits, why is the Commission using scarce budget resources to hire another Information Systems staffer and a traditional civil engineer?

Executive Director Grogan, I request that you distribute this email to the full Commission.

I look forward to your timely response.

Bill Wolfe