WolfeNotes.com

 Democrats Should Expose The Administration’s Failures to Heed Climate Science and Prepare

RUTGERS-EAGLETON POLL: GOV. CHRISTIE RATINGS REMAIN SKY-HIGH, BUT APPROVAL ON HANDLING ECONOMY AND TAXES LOWER (2/8/13)

Look at the dates when approval rating took off and the subject matter – it’s obviously all due to Sandy demagoguery and manipulation.

Here is the Eagleton Poll.

Maybe next time, they will poll questions about climate change, and between now and then, the media will do investigative stories on the Administration’s preparedness and Rebuild Madness.

We have provided ample documentation here showing

1) exactly how they ignored repeated expert warnings about coastal vulnerability, destroyed State programs to manage climate change and coastal vulnerability, and failed to prepare (the AshBritt scandal is the tip of the iceberg);

2) why Christie’ Rebuild Madness and Rebuild Czar are insane.

Wake up and stop giving the Governor a pass – his Fleece moment is long past.

One Table Tells a Big Story

Savings, Deficits, and Carbon Stock Market Crash In Jersey City & Freehold

The Real Cliff We Need to Worry About Is a Climate Cliff

Source: USEPA: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990 – 2010 (4/15/12)

The EPA’s release of greenhouse gas emissions data has gotten very favorable (and misleading) headline treatment in NJ media circles:

• Good news at N.J. power plants

• NJ Fares Well in EPA’s Map of Greenhouse Gas Totals in Industrial States. Garden State isn’t even among top 10; Linden has three of our worst-polluting facilities

Of course ranking US states by greenhouse gas emissions is highly misleading, because states vary so much in population and economic activity.

But aside from the obviously silly technical stuff, gee wiz, I wonder what economic special interests would want to spin greenhouse gas emissions data in a favorable way?

And do this just at a time when President Obama has put the issue back on the table and the largest global warming protest ever will occur next Sunday (2/17/13) in Washington DC?

But scratch just a micron beneath the surface of the news stories themselves or the actual EPA data  – and what the EPA data and Report fail to tell (like record coal, oil, and gas production levels – or proven coal & oil reserves in corporate portfolio’s)  – and a very different and disturbing picture emerges.

First, we learn this, from NJ Spotlight:

It should be noted that the EPA data does not include greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, the largest source of pollution contributing to global climate change.

But, none of those positive press reports told us this, which is just an additional piece of mounting evidence on gas drilling and pipeline leaks and lifecycle GHG potential that destroys the credibility of the natural gas emissions data:

So, instead of doing all the hard work of wading through all that data and text, I thought I push back against that favorably spun news coverage and randomly dig up one simple data chart from the EPA emissions inventory Report that packs a lot of information about and captures the less than favorable essence of the “Garden State” – cars, pavement, and pollution.

 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:

• Silicon Valley Taking Control of History

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

 

Sandy recovery, not climate, on Governor Christie’s radar (Bergen Record, 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.”

Chamber of Commerce and Realtors Back Red Tape Commission Bill Seeking Permit Dismantling 

Bill Approved With No Enviro Opposition, No Testimony, and No Discussion

More “Regulatory Relief “& Rebuild Madness!

The Assembly Regulatory Oversight Committee today released another bad Christie Red Tape Commission bill, again sponsored by Christie regulatory point man, Assemblyman Burzichelli (see A3320).

The bill specifically targets DEP permits

This bill implements one of the findings of the “Red Tape Review Commission Findings and Recommendations” report issued February 2012. The report states the following, on page 27:

“DEP’s increased usage of general permits and general operating  permits is another success worthy of replication. These pre- approved permits cover minor activities, do not require extensive  submittal of data, and allow departmental staff to focus greater attention on individual permits which encompass more complex activities. Though DEP has made notable progress in this regard DEP, as well as all other permit issuing departments and agencies,  should expand the use of such permits.”

The expanded use of general permits and “permits-by-rule” is also encouraged in the Department of State’s “Permit Review Annual Report,” issued  March 2012, in response to the provisions of P.L.2011, c.34.

The bill was supported by the NJ Chamber of Commerce and the NJ Association of Realtors.

They did not testify openly on the bill – “support with no need to testify” – and there was no environmental opposition.

I don’t know where the environmental lobbyists were, because there was no competing committee to divert their attention. As I previously wrote, this is an important committee that has done great damage to the regulatory fabric already, and that the enviro’s and the press neglect.

The bill (A3320) would further expand on DEP “permit streamling” and provide additional Christie “regulatory relief” via what are known as “general permits” (GP’s).

The bill is another sad indication that the Democratic leadership in the Assembly has bought into the business community’s and Christie Administration’s false premises and attack on DEP and environmental regulations as “job killing red tape”.

The bill encourages the use of more GP’s and mandates that when a GP is not legally authorized or is flat out prohibited, that the DEP target and report it to the legislature, thereby setting up a dangerous process for further rollback legislation.

Here is the bill summary:

This bill also provides that if a State agency identifies a permit that could be administered through an expedited process, such as through a general permit, but finds, as a result of statutory law, that it does not have the necessary authority to establish an expedite process for that particular permit, the head of the State agency would send written notice of this finding to the President of the  Senate, the Speaker of the General Assembly, the chairs of the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee and the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee, or their successors and the Secretary of State or the Governor’s designee.

A GP involves far less rigorous DEP permit review, less monitoring, less enforcement oversight, less mitigation, and less opportunity for public comment.

Although justified  by political slogans like “streamlining” and “cutting red tape”, it really is a form of deregulation, designed to rollback environmental protections and limit the opportunity for the public to participate in government decisions.

A legitimate GP is supposed to be limited to minor activities with little potential for environmental or public health impact.

In recent years, due to loss of staff, reduced budgets, and growing and intense political pressures to dismantle environmental programs and deregulate, DEP has been expanding – across the board – the scope and types of GP’s  that are allowed.

But the Christie DEP has gone much further than expanding the use of GP’s.

What has been, at times, a legitimate administrative “streamlining” process has now morphed into what is now explicitly justified as “regulatory relief” from “job killing bureaucratic red tape”.

In the case of emergency rule promoting SANDY rebuild, DEP went way beyond GP’s and adopted an even weaker form of permit oversight known as “permit by rule” (PBR – not Past Blue Ribbon!).

A PBR is essentially voluntary compliance, because no actual permit application is submitted to DEP and no effective public review and opportunity for public comment are provided.

Here’s how DEP described a PBR in the Sandy rule – especially note the twisted logic that reduction in DEP oversight somehow translates into  “increased public safety, minimization of property damage, reduced need for relief measures, and reduced costs for permits, and thus will have a net positive economic impact.

The expansion of permits-by-rule will also reduce the number of individual permit applications prepared by prospective applicants, which will generate a savings in preparation costs and application review fees. Given the above, the Department anticipates that the proposed amendments will result in increased public safety, minimization of property damage, reduced need for relief measures, and reduced costs for permits, and thus will have a net positive economic impact. (@ p. 17)

A permit by rule means that rebuilding can occur with virtually no prior DEP review or public hearings, public awareness of involvement of any kind.

Lets focus on these kind of anti-regulatory bills and block them before they are posted for an Assembly floor vote.