Home > Uncategorized > Asking a Climate Question at a Christie Press Conference

Asking a Climate Question at a Christie Press Conference

 From Sandy Climate and “Strategic Retreat” Denial and News Blackout

To Headlines – in 24 Hours

*Christie Imposing Warped Priorities, Remains Clueless on Governing and Planning

Tank Man 

[*Important Update below]

[Update: 6/9/22 – I may have been a victim of propaganda on Tank Man – I have not investigated this issue and make no statements of my views, but post this in the interests of free speech and inquiry, see:

Governor Christie called on me at his press conference on Feb. 5 in Union Beach and I asked him this question:

“Governor: President Obama issued an Executive Order to coordinate the federal response to Sandy. It emphasizes the need to plan for future storm risk from climate change, extreme weather, and sea level rise. 

Similarly, yesterday, recognizing Sandy as a climate change wake up call, NY Gov. Cuomo pledged a $400 million program to buy out flood prone properties. 

Given that you have not engaged climate change, NJ’s open space fund is broke, and DEP has ignored multiple warnings from scientists and actually reduced the priority on coastal hazards in NJ coastal zone management program, do you think NJ is at a competitive disadvantage in receiving federal funds just approrpriated to the various federal agencies, who will review NJ’s rebuild plans subject to the Obama EO policies?  Question posed to Gov. Christie In Union Beach by Bill Wolfe, 2/5/13
 
Wolfe attended Christie’s event Tuesday and tried to ask the governor a follow-up question on that specific issue but was shot down by the governor, who said, “I’m not answering your question because you’re not in the press.”
Quickly followed by:

Rebuilding standards at Jersey Shore must reflect climate change, experts say 

 

A day after Governor Christie dismissed questions about whether climate change fueled superstorm Sandy, scientists maintained Wednesday that global warming and sea level rise must be taken into account when rebuilding the Jersey Shore. (Bergen Record 2/6/13)

Gov. Christie: New Jersey considering buying flood-prone neighborhoods

 

SEA BRIGHT — Gov. Chris Christie said today he wants the state to use a portion of the federal Sandy aid money coming to New Jersey to buy up whole neighborhoods prone to flooding. (Star Ledger 2/7/13)

 

I’d like to take credit for some of this abrupt change in the focus of the news, especially regarding the Governor’s failure to address climate change and “strategic retreat” in his single minded pursuit of Sandy rebuild (AKA “Rebuild Madness“), the Obama Executive Order (which has been completely ignored by NJ press), and the Cuomo comparison, which I’ve written extensively about (most recently, see this on Obama and this on Cuomo).

[this story got national attention via this Think Progress piece by national climate expert Joe Romm: Christie Has Time For Super Bowl But Not ‘Esoteric Question’ Of Whether Climate Change Fueled Superstorm Sandy]

But what really broke the news blackout and forced the Governor’s hand was NY Gov. Cuomo’s leadership, the President’s Inaugural remarks, and especially the NY Times’ Sunday page one story about Cuomo’s $400 million plan:  Cuomo Seeking Home Buyouts in Flood Zones

That just illustrates both the power of the NY Times to set the news agenda and the lap dog nature of the NJ press corps, who seem to be either incapable of asking complex questions, or just flat out cowed by and afraid of Christie.

Now if the story can stay in the news for more than a 24 hour news cycle, and not be driven out by Snooki or a snowstorm,  and the Trenton environmentalists can come out from either hiding under their desks or trolling for Open Space stewardship money, and the Democrats can grow a spine, then maybe we can have an adult discussion about developing a regional plan for the coast and make some progress in responding to climate change.

[Important Update – my good friend BC just sent me today’s Bergen Record article, which significantly alters the optimistic stuff implied above with respect to the Gov. possible embrace of a buyout program and “strategic retreat”.

Christie says he’s reluctant to buy out flood-prone homes without neighborhood consensus

 

Governor Christie said Thursday that he would be reluctant to use federal Sandy aid to buy out flood-prone homes unless whole neighborhoods come to a consensus on their own.

“If you’re going to do it, you need to buy out an entire neighborhood,” he said during a visit to the shore by President Obama’s point-person for Sandy rebuilding, Shaun Donovan. “Because if you buy two or three homes in the neighborhood that flood and you leave the other 15 or 20 or 40, you’re back in the same position in terms of paying for damage in the long haul.”

Christie’s comments, made a day after Donovan announced New Jersey would get $1.8 billion in Sandy aid, stand it contrast with a proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York to spend as much as $400 million for a voluntary buyout program that would target damaged, flood-prone homes in the most vulnerable coastal areas. Cuomo’s proposed program would offer homeowners pre-storm market value for their homes and keep the land undeveloped.

Christie has said he wants to use the first installment of Sandy aid for homeowner and small business grants to rebuild coastal communities — none for buyouts — and for an advertising campaign to get summer tourists back to the shore.

This confirms exactly what I suspected and have written about:

1) The Governor’s priorities are warped

Business grants and advertising campaigns should be LAST in line for scarce dollars, not FIRST.

The Legislature must step in and redirect these priorities. ASAP!

People are still homeless and Governor Christie wants to provide business grants? Are you kidding me?

2)  The Governor is clueless about planning and governing

I don’t disagree with the Gov. that the best approach is a buyout of an entire neighborhood.

But these locations must be targeted, regional, and limited to certain highly vulnerable places.

But the Gov. wants neighborhoods to come to consensus on their own?

How are people supposed to be aware of risks and costs, and magically come together and forge a voluntary consensus on a neighborhood buyout?

Are they supposed to spontaneously meet at the local coffee shop , deli, or ginmill?

Government needs to take the lead and organize a planning process to allow this important dialogue to emerge. Government needs to not only establish this planning process, but structure and guide it within policy parameters and enforce it via regulations (use a carrot and stick, in the conventional vernacular).

Christie has no clue how to do this, because he knows nothing about planning, because he appointed a Czar and cares only about power and control, and because he hates government intervention in private markets.

The Legislature MUST step up and hold an intervention.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags:
  1. No comments yet.
Comment pages
1 2 3 4 25322
  1. May 20th, 2015 at 23:59 | #1
  2. May 21st, 2015 at 00:20 | #2
  3. May 21st, 2015 at 20:24 | #3
  4. May 27th, 2015 at 02:04 | #4
  5. May 27th, 2015 at 03:44 | #5
  6. May 28th, 2015 at 04:25 | #6
  7. May 28th, 2015 at 04:46 | #7
  8. May 28th, 2015 at 04:47 | #8
  9. May 28th, 2015 at 04:47 | #9
  10. May 28th, 2015 at 04:48 | #10
  11. May 28th, 2015 at 05:20 | #11
  12. May 29th, 2015 at 15:49 | #12
  13. May 29th, 2015 at 18:12 | #13
  14. May 29th, 2015 at 19:32 | #14
  15. May 30th, 2015 at 02:46 | #15
  16. May 31st, 2015 at 01:54 | #16
  17. May 31st, 2015 at 03:47 | #17
  18. May 31st, 2015 at 05:10 | #18
  19. May 31st, 2015 at 06:49 | #19
  20. May 31st, 2015 at 09:08 | #20
  21. May 31st, 2015 at 14:43 | #21
  22. June 1st, 2015 at 12:28 | #22
  23. June 1st, 2015 at 15:15 | #23
  24. June 2nd, 2015 at 17:36 | #24
  25. June 2nd, 2015 at 23:35 | #25
  26. June 3rd, 2015 at 03:15 | #26
  27. June 3rd, 2015 at 04:26 | #27
  28. June 3rd, 2015 at 10:43 | #28
  29. June 3rd, 2015 at 10:45 | #29
  30. June 3rd, 2015 at 12:56 | #30
  31. June 3rd, 2015 at 14:51 | #31
  32. June 4th, 2015 at 17:30 | #32
  33. June 4th, 2015 at 19:54 | #33
  34. June 6th, 2015 at 02:39 | #34
  35. June 6th, 2015 at 10:43 | #35
  36. June 7th, 2015 at 01:31 | #36
  37. June 7th, 2015 at 06:00 | #37
  38. June 7th, 2015 at 08:10 | #38
  39. June 8th, 2015 at 04:40 | #39
  40. June 18th, 2015 at 19:29 | #40
  41. June 18th, 2015 at 20:11 | #41
  42. June 19th, 2015 at 16:27 | #42
  43. June 21st, 2015 at 06:48 | #43
  44. June 21st, 2015 at 16:26 | #44
  45. June 22nd, 2015 at 01:43 | #45
  46. June 23rd, 2015 at 06:59 | #46
  47. June 24th, 2015 at 10:35 | #47
  48. June 25th, 2015 at 04:06 | #48
  49. June 25th, 2015 at 04:12 | #49
  50. June 25th, 2015 at 08:14 | #50
  51. June 25th, 2015 at 09:33 | #51
  52. June 25th, 2015 at 22:23 | #52
  53. June 25th, 2015 at 23:15 | #53
  54. June 26th, 2015 at 05:38 | #54
  55. June 26th, 2015 at 13:34 | #55
  56. June 26th, 2015 at 19:35 | #56
  57. June 27th, 2015 at 06:00 | #57
  58. June 27th, 2015 at 07:55 | #58
  59. June 27th, 2015 at 13:35 | #59
  60. June 28th, 2015 at 15:47 | #60
  61. June 30th, 2015 at 17:35 | #61
  62. June 30th, 2015 at 20:42 | #62
  63. July 1st, 2015 at 03:35 | #63
  64. July 1st, 2015 at 14:09 | #64
  65. July 1st, 2015 at 14:19 | #65
  66. July 1st, 2015 at 21:39 | #66
  67. July 1st, 2015 at 21:44 | #67
  68. July 2nd, 2015 at 09:41 | #68
  69. July 2nd, 2015 at 10:00 | #69
  70. July 2nd, 2015 at 10:17 | #70
  71. July 2nd, 2015 at 10:18 | #71
  72. July 2nd, 2015 at 10:30 | #72
  73. July 3rd, 2015 at 04:10 | #73
  74. July 3rd, 2015 at 04:12 | #74
  75. July 3rd, 2015 at 06:12 | #75
  76. July 3rd, 2015 at 16:59 | #76
  77. July 3rd, 2015 at 17:01 | #77
  78. July 3rd, 2015 at 17:08 | #78
  79. July 3rd, 2015 at 20:41 | #79
  80. July 3rd, 2015 at 21:33 | #80
  81. July 3rd, 2015 at 22:00 | #81
  82. July 3rd, 2015 at 22:27 | #82
  83. July 4th, 2015 at 01:47 | #83
  84. July 4th, 2015 at 14:34 | #84
  85. July 4th, 2015 at 18:34 | #85
  86. July 4th, 2015 at 18:36 | #86
  87. July 4th, 2015 at 22:53 | #87
  88. July 5th, 2015 at 04:20 | #88
  89. July 5th, 2015 at 05:04 | #89
  90. July 5th, 2015 at 10:56 | #90
  91. July 5th, 2015 at 16:22 | #91
  92. July 5th, 2015 at 18:23 | #92
  93. July 5th, 2015 at 18:42 | #93
  94. July 5th, 2015 at 19:57 | #94
  95. July 6th, 2015 at 05:22 | #95
  96. July 6th, 2015 at 12:28 | #96
  97. July 6th, 2015 at 13:51 | #97
  98. July 6th, 2015 at 16:14 | #98
  99. July 6th, 2015 at 16:50 | #99
  100. July 6th, 2015 at 22:50 | #100
  101. July 6th, 2015 at 22:53 | #101
  102. July 6th, 2015 at 23:31 | #102
  103. July 6th, 2015 at 23:41 | #103
  104. July 7th, 2015 at 01:59 | #104
  105. July 7th, 2015 at 04:14 | #105
  106. July 7th, 2015 at 06:09 | #106
  107. July 7th, 2015 at 06:18 | #107
  108. July 7th, 2015 at 08:20 | #108
  109. July 7th, 2015 at 08:22 | #109
  110. July 7th, 2015 at 08:23 | #110
  111. July 7th, 2015 at 08:23 | #111
  112. July 7th, 2015 at 08:23 | #112
  113. July 7th, 2015 at 08:24 | #113
  114. July 7th, 2015 at 14:20 | #114
  115. July 7th, 2015 at 15:27 | #115
  116. July 7th, 2015 at 15:27 | #116
  117. July 8th, 2015 at 03:08 | #117
  118. July 8th, 2015 at 09:45 | #118
  119. July 8th, 2015 at 11:48 | #119
  120. July 8th, 2015 at 13:08 | #120
  121. July 8th, 2015 at 16:04 | #121
  122. July 8th, 2015 at 16:52 | #122
  123. July 8th, 2015 at 19:13 | #123
  124. July 9th, 2015 at 00:15 | #124
  125. July 9th, 2015 at 06:34 | #125
  126. July 9th, 2015 at 06:34 | #126
  127. July 9th, 2015 at 06:35 | #127
  128. July 9th, 2015 at 08:34 | #128
  129. July 9th, 2015 at 13:55 | #129
  130. July 9th, 2015 at 17:24 | #130
  131. July 9th, 2015 at 21:46 | #131
  132. July 9th, 2015 at 22:10 | #132
  133. July 10th, 2015 at 07:02 | #133
  134. July 10th, 2015 at 08:24 | #134
  135. July 10th, 2015 at 09:35 | #135
  136. July 10th, 2015 at 13:51 | #136
  137. July 10th, 2015 at 17:00 | #137
  138. July 10th, 2015 at 18:52 | #138
  139. July 10th, 2015 at 19:08 | #139
  140. July 10th, 2015 at 19:45 | #140
  141. July 10th, 2015 at 19:45 | #141
  142. July 11th, 2015 at 02:14 | #142
  143. July 11th, 2015 at 02:38 | #143
  144. July 11th, 2015 at 07:49 | #144
  145. July 11th, 2015 at 12:52 | #145
  146. July 11th, 2015 at 19:15 | #146
  147. July 11th, 2015 at 20:51 | #147
  148. July 11th, 2015 at 20:56 | #148
  149. July 11th, 2015 at 21:59 | #149
  150. July 12th, 2015 at 09:51 | #150
  151. July 12th, 2015 at 10:25 | #151
  152. July 12th, 2015 at 10:34 | #152
  153. July 12th, 2015 at 13:08 | #153
  154. July 12th, 2015 at 14:44 | #154
  155. July 12th, 2015 at 16:12 | #155
  156. July 13th, 2015 at 03:11 | #156
  157. July 13th, 2015 at 03:41 | #157
  158. July 13th, 2015 at 07:00 | #158
  159. July 13th, 2015 at 09:13 | #159
  160. July 13th, 2015 at 10:38 | #160
  161. July 13th, 2015 at 11:02 | #161
  162. July 13th, 2015 at 11:51 | #162
  163. July 13th, 2015 at 12:17 | #163
  164. October 24th, 2015 at 09:15 | #164
You must be logged in to post a comment.