Christie’s “Ministry of Truth” Running Away From DEP Transition Report
Today’s Bergen Record runs an important story on DEP and Christie Administration plans to weaken the so called chemical “vapor intrusion” requirements: “Don’t change indoor air testing in New Jersey, environmentalists say”
Last month, we put out a national alert on this issue. In NJ, we broke the story, and we have written about that issue several times in detail here, most recently on Feb 4 in “Despite Pompton Lakes Tragedy, DEP Weakened and Now Christie Considering Nixing “Vapor Intrusion” Requirements” and again on February 12 “Questions for EPA Tweets”
But aside from the complex environmental and public health issues involved, there is a simple matter of credibility in the Christie press office.
Mike Drewniak, Christie’s press spokesman sounds like he’s with Orwell’s Ministry of Truth:
Here’s Drewniak in a Jan. 31, 2010 Bergen Record story on the DEP Transition Report “N.J. Gov. Christie’s transition team has harsh words about state’s environmental department”
“Christie’s spokesman said last week that the report will be a cornerstone of the governor’s environmental policy.
“This is not some blue-ribbon panel report that’s published, gathers dust on a shelf and then is thrown out when a new administration comes in,” said Michael Drewniak. “This is something that we will look over and take the best ideas from.”
But here’s Drewniak again, on the same issue, in the same paper, today (Feb 19, 2010: “Don’t change indoor air testing policy in New Jersey, environmentalists say”
“Christie spokesman Mike Drewniak dismissed the criticism as unfair. “None of the transition documents are administration policy,” Drewniak said. “These are all for our consideration for formulating policy moving forward. You’ll find some recommendations that are counter to the known policy of the governor. We wanted all opinions gathered, and some will be rejected outright.”
Wow! How do they go from the Transition Report as “the cornerstone of the governor’s environmental policy” to full retreat (e.g. “some recommendations that are counter to the known policy of the governor” and “some will be rejected outright“)?
Does that have something to do with the horrible press coverage Christie has received on that Report? Has there been a change in policy or PR?
So it looks like either Christie has made a religious conversion on the environment, or they are spinning big time.
Which is it?
Or are they amateurs? Or do they think we are stupid?
We’ll keep you posted.