Environment and Media – The Year in Review
It is a sad fact that New Jersey newspapers continue to downsize and fail to cover important environmental news, especially policy stories out of Trenton.
The few issues they do cover reflect constraints imposed by news deadlines or space limits that prevent in depth substantive coverage.
Complex topics or policy issues are avoided in favor of human interest puff pieces. Coverage often is inaccurate, or reflects the self serving spin of government officials or vapid political soundbites from friendly lobbyists.
These trends do not bode well for the health of our democracy or the environment: for example, witness the dearth of substantive coverage of the record of NJ DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson after she was nominated by President Elect Obama to be EPA Administrator.
Despite persistent failures of the media to hold polluters and government accountable, we had quite a year in 2008 writing important environmental stories in New Jersey. http://www.peer.org/state/state_info.php?sid=nj
I am taking nominations on your favorites from the long list below! Vote in the comments section. Each story comes with extensive links to supporting documents, provided for the inquiring reader, blogger, intrepid journalist and citizen activist:
February 6, 2008 NEW JERSEY CUTS DEEPLY INTO PROTECTED STREAM BUFFERS — Commissioner Revokes Her Year-Old Order, Leaving Buffers at Mercy of Politics
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=986
February 11, 2008 MERCURY IN NEW JERSEY DAY-CARE CENTER 3,000 TIMES STANDARD — State Wants to Demolish Old Thermometer Plant but No Further Testing of Kids
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=987
February 25, 2008 NEW JERSEY AIDE GOT TOO CLOSE TO DEVELOPERS — Ethics Complaint Filed Against Personal Advisor to DEP Commissioner
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=996
March 25, 2008 NEW JERSEY ASKS BUSINESS TO REWRITE ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS — Developers See Slow Economy as Lever to Weaken Anti-Pollution Permit Rules
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1013
April 7, 2008 NEW JERSEY TO CONSULT INDUSTRY ON ECO-REWRITES IN SECRET — “Efficiency” Task Force Members Not Barred from Self-Dealing with DEP
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1022
April 14, 2008 NEW JERSEY TO PRIVATIZE POLLUTION REGULATION TO SAVE MONEY — Outsourcing Clean-Ups Is Recipe for More Toxic Disasters, Legislature Told
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1027
April 17, 2008 CORZINE EMBRACES FAST TRACK LAW HE VOWED TO REPEAL — Quietly Appoints Fast Track “Czar” to Speed Development Permits
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1028
April 21, 2008 NEW JERSEY PARKS LOSE MILLIONS IN UNCOLLECTED LEASE PAYMENTS — Park Closures Could Be Averted by Reaping Concessionaire and Easement Revenue
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1030
April 28, 2008 NEW JERSEY MODEL FOR PRIVATIZED TOXIC CLEAN-UPS FAILS AUDITS — Serious Violations Found in More than Two-Thirds of Audited Massachusetts Sites
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1034
April 29, 2008 NEW JERSEY DONS BLINDERS ON INDUSTRIAL SITE CLEAN-UP — State Retreats from Real Estate Transaction as Leverage for Toxic Remediation
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1036
May 7, 2008 NEW JERSEY WILL NOT CLOSE PARKS OR LAY OFF ECO-WORKERS — Governor Orders DEP to Explore Other “Funding Options”
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1040
May 7, 2008 NEW JERSEY JETTISONS GROUNDWATER POLLUTION STANDARDS — Drinking Water Supplies for Half the State Vulnerable to Toxic Contamination
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1039
May 13, 2008 NEW JERSEY CHEMICAL PLANT PLAN HAS ONLY VOLUNTARY STANDARDS — Corzine Administration Caves on Governor’s Signature Environmental Issue
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1043
May 20, 2008 PROBE CALLED FOR IN NEW JERSEY TOXIC HIGH SCHOOL FIASCO — Inspector General Asked Why “Kiddie Kollege” Law Failed Clifton High School
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1048
May 27, 2008 CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS TRUMP NEW JERSEY CLEAN WATERS — Loophole-Riddled Stream Protection Plan: One Step Forward, Three Steps Backward
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1054
June 5, 2008 “GRANDFATHER” STAMPEDE IN DELAYED NEW JERSEY STREAM RULES — Statewide Clean Water Protections Honeycombed with Special Interest Exceptions
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1058
June 10, 2008 ENCAP DEBACLE LOOMS OVER LATEST NEW JERSEY WATER FUND PLAN — Impending Legislative Approval Fails to Address Root Causes of Smoldering Scandal
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1060
June 18, 2008 NEW JERSEY EXEMPTS FLOOD OF PROJECTS FROM FLOOD HAZARD RULES — DEP Confirms Flood Prevention and Stream Buffer Protection Loopholes
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1067
June 19, 2008 EPA REPORT BLASTS NEW JERSEY TOXIC CLEAN-UPS — State Failures to Enforce Law Lead to Worst Delays in the Country
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1068
July 2, 2008 NEW JERSEY MISSES FIRST GLOBAL WARMING TARGET — Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan Due This Week Delayed Until Fall or Later
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1072
July 10, 2008 NEW JERSEY TO SET CARBON CAPS ABOVE CURRENT EMISSION LEVELS — Loopholes, Offsets and Economic Limits Sap Strength from Global Warming Plan
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1079
August 28, 2008 WIDESPREAD CONTAMINATION FOUND IN NEW JERSEY DRINKING WATER — Survey of Wells Is Far From Well; State Does Not Follow-Up on Pollutants
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1095
September 5, 2008 SPRAWL IS STEADILY POISONING MORE NEW JERSEY LAKES AND STREAMS — Most Waters Unfit for Direct Human Contact; Statewide Fish Health Advisories
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1097
September 8, 2008 FEDS PROCEED QUICKLY ON STALLED NEW JERSEY TOXIC CLEAN-UPS — EPA Remediation Plan for Brick Township Landfill Ready for Public Review
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1098
September 16, 2008 NEW JERSEY INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENTAL TASK FORCE PUNTS — “Month Late and a Dollar Short” Report Ignores Problems It Finds
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1101
September 23, 2008 NEW JERSEY WILL MISS FIRST GREENHOUSE GAS ALLOWANCES AUCTION — Corzine Global Warming Program behind Schedule, Blowing Second Major Deadline
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1111
November 17, 2008 CHROMIUM POSES HIGHER LUNG CANCER RISK IN NEW JERSEY CITIES — State Ignored Staff Warnings of Continued Exposure Even in “Remediated” Sites
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1126
December 8, 2008 WHY LISA JACKSON SHOULD NOT RUN EPA — Disastrous Record in New Jersey Bodes Ill for Reforming EPA
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1136
December 22, 2008 NEW JERSEY GREENHOUSE GAS PLAN FULL OF HOLES — Reliance on Carbon Sequestration, Nuclear and Loose Cap Raises Questions
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1142
* Note – Bill Wolfe left NJ PEER on September 28, 2008. The opinions expressed on this blog are solely his own.
Too many to choose from, Wolfe!
My pick is close to home and definitely reinforces the “all show and no go” policy at DEP:
August 28, 2008 WIDESPREAD CONTAMINATION FOUND IN NEW JERSEY DRINKING WATER — Survey of Wells Is Far From Well; State Does Not Follow-Up on Pollutants
“A classic example of what’s wrong occurred in Sussex County, Byram Township, where a well at a house being sold was found to be seriously contaminated with trichloroethylene. The public notification regulations suggest that the local health authority notify neighboring properties within at least 200 feet but because no homes were located within 200 feet of the property, neither the local health authority nor the state performed any subsequent sampling,” Wolfe added. “Our drinking water protections should be – but are not – better than those in the Third World.”