Year of Rollback, Retreat, and Appeasement – Christie Worse Than Whitman 1994
The year 2010 began with low expectations for environmental progress.
We started in the wake of Obama’s disaster at the global warming treaty collapse at Copenhagen; with deep disappointment with Congressional Democrats’ inability to enact real reforms despite huge majorities in both Houses; and under a dark cloud cast by the election of NJ Governor Chris Christie.
But remarkably, events actually were worse than anticipated, while we broke new ground on the appeasement front.
Needless to say, we have been very closely following the Christie Administration – and we’ve exhaustively documented a monstrous record.
In sum, we see 5 deeply disturbing trends:
- Christie is engaged in systematic environmental rollbacks and attacks on regulation and government. There are indications that Christie’s policy and politics have become a model for fellow Republican Governors and Tea Party extremists;
- the environmental community’s largest groups are asleeep or in retreat (with the exception of Jeff Tittel of Sierra Club, Environment NJ, and, more recently, the Highlands Coalition);
- the NJ Environmental Federation is engaged in appeasement;
- the press hasn’t even scratched the surface or tried to hold the Governor accountable;
- the Democrats in the legislature either support the Governor or don’t have the spine to take him on (with the exception of Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono).
So here is the NJ 2010 year in review – a monthly calendar of major events followed by Wolfenotes.com (for national issues, visit the DC PEER site).
Our first installment covers the campaign, transition, and first quarter of 2010.
We set the stage for 2010 and begin with 2009 campaign and post election transition lowlights:
Campaign issues
- Daggett Ethics Agenda of Recent Vintage (8/20/09)
- Gubernatorial Candidates Debate Energy and Environmental Issues (9/9/09)
- Daggett Won Debate By Focus on Policy (10/5/09)
- Christie’s Environmental Agenda Would Be A Disaster for New Jersey (10/6/09)
- Daggett is No White Hat on the Environment (10/19/10)
- Republicans Want to Eliminate DEP (10/20/09)
Post Election transition:
- “Cutting Onerous Regulations” (11/4/09)
- Christie Proposes Moratorium on Regulations – Signals Threat To Environment (11/5/09)
- Did Christie Quick Pitch Or Balk? (11/7/09)
- Over The Brink of Irrelevance (11/8/09)
- Christie Transition Team – MIA on the Environment (11/12/09)
- Christie Transition Team seeks “horror stories” to push environmental rollbacks (11/14/09)
- Christie Governing: “By Invitation Only“ (11/21/09)
- A Law Without Enforcement Has Little Meaning (11/22/09)
- Environmental Federation Joins Chemical Industry in Support of Christie Rule Moratorium (11/24/09)
- Token “environmentalist” appointed to Christie Transition Team (11/25/09)
- DEP Discovers Discrimination – Dumps Environmental Justice Issue in Christie’s Lap (12/5/09)
- New Obama EPA Regional Administrator Plants a Flag in NJ (12/11/09)
- “Letter to Santa Christie” is A Dangerous Betrayal (12/22/09)
- How Do These People Sleep At Night? (12/30/09)
January
- According to DEP: Real Estate Values Trump Public Right to Know About Risks From Nearby Toxic Sites (1/3/10)
- Christie Back-pedaling on Commitment to Oyster Creek Nuke Cooling Towers To Protect Barnegat Bay (1/10/10)
- DEP Suppressing Study That Shows Breathing Air in Paterson is Hazardous to Your Health (1/12/10)
- Burden Is On Christie’s DEP Nominee to Show Senate He’s Qualified (1/14/10)
- The Ludicrous Logic of “Cost-Benefit Bob Martin” (1/17/10)
- Christie Inaugural – Republicans Invade Trenton (1/19/10)
- Christie off on the “Right” Foot – Executive Orders Attack Environmental Protections (1/20/10)
- DEP Invokes Nixon’s Watergate Argument to Conceal Private Meetings (1/21/10)
- Christie’s Authoritarian Shock Doctrine for NJ’s Environment (1/24/10)
- Christie Environmental Policy Founded on Falsehoods (1/28/10)
- Christie’s Message on Environment: “Do Less With Less“(1/29/10)
February
- Christie DEP Nominee Fails First Test: “No Comment” on Controversial Transition Report (2/1/10)
- Poll: 79% of NJ Residents Oppose Relaxing Environmental Regulations (2/2/10)
- Despite Pompton Lakes Tragedy, Christie Considering Nixing Vapor Intrusion Requirements (2/4/10)
- Christie Environmental Rollbacks Echo Whitman’s Failed Policy (2/13/10)
- Hal Bozarth and Dave Pringle – perfect together! (2/14/10)
- What Ever Became of EPA Newark Air Toxics Study? (2/15/10)
- Too Harsh for the Op-Ed Page (2/17/10)
- Is This “State of the Art” In Air Pollution Control? (2/18/10)
- NJ Subsidizing Oil and Gas Pipelines That Cross State Lands (2/18/10)
- Christie’s “Ministry of Truth” Running Away From DEP Transition Report (2/19/10)
- DEP Protecting Polluters, Not People (2/20/10)
- Court Orders DEP To Release Documents on Industry Lobbying on Science Board (2/23/10)
- Something Is Rotten in the City of Paterson, NJ (2/25/10)
- Christie Regulatory Moratorium Blocks Major Environmental Protections (2/26/10)
- Bob Martin Comes Out (2/27/10)
- DEP Creates Sham Process To Cover Legal Defects in Christie Orders (2/28/10)
March
- Christie Rule Freeze Kills Drinking Water Standard for Chemical Found in Rocket Fuel & Military Explosives (3/2/10)
- Democrats in Legislature Join Christie “Red Tape” Environmental Rollback Juggernaut (3/4/10)
- Clean Water Held Hostage by Christie Moratorium (3/6/10)
- Oil Industry Seeks Clean Air Rollback Under Christie Moratorium (3/8/10)
- Bears Are Not Terrorists (3/9/10)
- Safe Drinking Water Jeopardized by Christie Moratorium (3/10/10)
- Water Pollution Enforcement Put Under the Gun of Christie Moratorium (3/11/10)
- NJEF Provides Cover on Christie Freeze on Drinking Water Standards (3/12/10)
- Metrics for Mr. Martin (on Monday) (3/14/10)
- Ten Questions the Senate Should Ask Bob Martin (3/15/10)
- Abdication in Trenton on Martin Confirmation Hearing (3/15/10)
- Landscape Project Under Siege (3/17/10)
- Environmental Rollback Legislation Advances (3/18/10)
- It Took Cap-and-Trade to Smoke Dem Opposition Out (3/19/10)
- Christie “Red Tape Review Group” Holds Final Public Hearing Tomorrow (3/22/10)
- Red Tape Rollback Rolls at Montclair (3/23/10)
- Christie Shreds NJ Global Warming Programs (3/25/10)
- “I Am Green Energy” – “ Small Business Turns Out To Oppose Christie Clean Energy Cuts (3/25/10)
- Christie’s Environmental Rollbacks Receiving National Attention (3/26/10)
- Is Bob Martin Sabotaging The Highlands Septic Density Standard? (3/31/10)
Come back tomorrow, when we present the second quarter of 2010.