[Full Of] Crap Box
Gov. Murphy’s Green Cheerleaders Predictably Spin His Environmental Record
The “Chat Box” Is A Full Of Crap Box
“The age of Truth shall soon appear, Aquarius arise.
A man’s a man who looks a man right between the eyes.” ~~~ Graham Nash (and RIP David Crosby)
The last time David Cruz’ “Chat Box” at NJ Spotlight TeeVee interviewed 2 guests on the topic of Gov. Murphy’s environmental record, it was a real hoot, with retired Sierra Club veteran Jeff Tittel eviscerating the Gov. and embarrassing an obviously clueless poser, Marcus Sibley, see:
I guess Cruz got the memo from the Gov.’s Office and PBS owners/managers to tone it down, because his latest show on the Gov.’s environmental record featured a love-fest between two Murphy cheerleaders, Anjuli Ramos, Sierra Club and Doug O’Malley, Environment NJ (critics need not apply).
Watch the show and see for yourself: “Offshore Wind, Whales, And Climate Change” (time 13:15 – 30:15)
Weeks and days after Murphy’s State of the State address (i.e. I am not criticizing his entire 5 year record here, there’s more to come on that), which gave short shrift to climate and environmental issues, and Murphy’s proposed corporate tax cut that would slash $36 million in environmental funding (mostly for Green Acres open space) and Murphy’s U-turn betrayal in support of the controversial bear slaughter and abandonment of DEP’s proposed boiler rules and DEP adoption of a very weak power plant CO2 rule and DEP proposal of a fatally flawed inland flooding rule and a DEP’s settlement and controversial corporate giveaway to chemical giant BASF in Toms River and DEP’s failure to adopt EJ rules and DEP’s Clean Air plan on fine particulates that is obsolete in light of prosed more stringent EPA national standards and DEP’s controversial Pinelands and Highlands logging projects and DEP’s planned proposed rollbacks of Green Acres rules to promote insane development and DEP’s pending adoption of a major “variance” loophole in clean water standards and the recent gaps and loopholes in chemical safety regulations (RTK, TCPA) exposed by the Passaic City chemical fire and the Bergen Record’s series and DEP rubber stamp regulatory approvals of millions of square feet of warehouses and the toothless State Plan and the upcoming Forestry Task Force recommendations – oh no, we get no mention of any of that.
The show began with the media topic of the day, the death of whales. Both guests could not find the backbone to state the obvious: the opportunistic political exploitation of whale deaths to attack offshore wind is disgraceful, by both State Senator Polistina and Clean Ocean Action.
The conversation then moved on to the Governor’s environmental record.
Both then gave unqualified support for off shore wind, without noting the fact that the BPU Energy Master Plan integrates wind with continued reliance on fossil natural gas power and that there are no enforceable regulations or contracts that require wind to displace fossil power sources. With a projected more than doubling of demand for electric power, it is likely that wind will serve demand growth, not displace fossil.
After a Cruz intro that specifically asked for the Gov’s “strengths and weaknesses” and a clip from the Gov. that emphasized his “pragmatism”, Sierra did not mention any weaknesses and parroted the Gov.’s “pragmatism” and gave him a pass by mentioning that he has 3 more years to act. Her only demand was the California clean car standards.
O’Malley then falsely claimed that Murphy DEP was playing “catch up” after 8 years of the disastrous Christie DEP policies and regulatory rollbacks. That is factually false.
The Murphy DEP has not even tried to repeal, restore, and strengthen the Christie DEP regulatory rollbacks.
Very few people know this, but the Murphy DEP has re-adopted without change 42 Christie DEP regulations (and denied several important petitions for rulemaking on: 1) climate, 2) wildfire prevention, 3) Green Acres, and 4) water quality).
Despite the green rhetoric, in fact, there has been enormous policy continuity. The Gov. did repeal Christie’s Ex. Order #2 on regulatory policy, but Murphy;s replacement EO is not much better and DEP has done nothing to reduce the undue influence by regulated industry on DEP rulemaking or stakeholder processes or tilt the balance back in favor of protection of public health and the environment over economic considerations.
To his benefit, O’Malley did contrast the Gov. Executive Order with DEP’s failure to follow through and implement them via regulations (only the adaptation regulations, under PACT) and pending fossil infrastructure projects. Doug mentioned failure to deliver on some campaign commitments and diversion of clean energy funds. But Doug failed to mention the DEP’s only rule on emissions reductions, the lame CO2 power plant rule.
Despite discussion of the “don’t take my gas stove” scheme, both failed to criticize the DEP’s recent cave to the fuel merchants association and abandonment of a proposed electric boiler replacement regulations, a minor first step in electrification of buildings.
Neither mentioned DEP Clean Air Act SIP amendments for failure to meet the health based ground level ozone and fine particulate standards (or EPA’s recent proposal of more stringent standard). No mention of air toxics and DEP’s continued issuance of air permits that allow emissions of hazardous air pollutants with no consideration of climate or EJ issues.
I sent the group the following email, to ask them all to do better and hold DEP and the Gov. accountable to their records:
Murphy DEP has not rescinded and restored Christie DEP rollbacks, and they haven’t even tried, so Doug is full of crap. There has been a LOT of policy continuity in almost all DEP programs: air, water, toxics, solid waste, hazardous waste, forestry management (logging), land use, Barnegat Bay, et al. Even some Christie DEP political appointment staff holdovers in Commissioners Office, Press office, NJ Env. Infrastructure Trust, et al. Budget?? Enforcement??? Highlands – nothing but a pro-economic development emphasis. Pinelands – logging plan, incomplete followthrough on appointments, no national search for a qualified Ex. Director.
Gov. Murphy EO did rescind Christie EO 2, but the replacement EO is almost as bad and DEP has not changed to rulemaking or stakeholder processes to curb undue industry influence.
DEP has proposed several regulatory rollbacks, including a “variance” loophole in Clean Water Act standards and permit requirements.
DEP’s CO2 emissions rule for large power plants recently adopted was pathetic.
The RGGI cap is still way too high and carbon allowance auction price way too low.
Flood rules fatally flawed because they continue to rely on 100 year storm event and dod not address paid use planning but instead try to engineer (build on stilts) out of the problem.
No change on CAFRA and coast or ocean policy.
I could go on
And the opportunistic political sham on the whale deaths is disgusting – failure to call that out id pure cowardice.
LaTourette In His Own Words:
How can you give a pass on all this (plus the $36 million cut to Green Acres money the Gov. just announced, a result from his corporate tax cuts)
1. “No immediate end to fossil-fuel use
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said he has told advocates pushing to shut down all fossil fuel projects that that is not going to happen anytime soon.
“We need carbon-based fuels to power our economy,’’ LaTourette said. “It is why we don’t see the DEP responding to calls for a fossil fuel moratorium.’’ ~~~ NJ Spotlight
https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2020/10/updating-nj-climate-change-regulations-developers-builders-fear-officials-advocates-say-necessary/
2. “We’re not at a point, nor do we think it’s our role, to tell people: ‘Don’t build here, you shouldn’t build there, you can’t do that,’” LaTourette said. …
He said the DEP wants to avoid being the “big, bad government” that imposes heavy-handed regulations. officials have continued to gather input via a series of virtual meetings with stakeholders and aim to formally propose new regulations “early next year,” perhaps in the first quarter, LaTourette said. (NJ Spotlight)
3. BASF settlement was was bad as Christie DEP Exxon NRD sellout.
4. LaTourette’s NJ Spotlight TV remarks were outrageously callous in response to Linda Gillick’s childhood cancer cluster interview.
5. Abandoned the boiler rule proposal
6. No action on electrification of buildings
7. Nuke subsidies over $1 billion now.
8. LNG export, pipeline, compressor stations permits still pending
9. LaTourette was a corporate lawyer, not Erin Brockovich like Gov. press release claimed.
I’ve been documenting all this from day one – Do you want more?
Wolfe