WolfeNotes.com

(Caption:1975)

Time To Break Silence On Israeli Genocide And The Ukraine Proxy War

If you want to honor Dr. King’s true legacy, read his 1967 “Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break Silence” speech, which you will not read quoted in The NY Times or Washington Post or broadcast on NPR.

That speech was delivered in Riverside Church in NY exactly one year before his murder.

At the time it was denounced by “liberal” outlets like the NY Times – (read the editorial: “Dr King’s Error”)

Dr. King’s critique sadly is totally relevant today!!!!

[End note: And you also are unlikely to read in US media that Dr. King was killed in Memphis, where he went to support the strike of sanitation workers, who were striking as a result of unsafe working conditions and fellow workers who were killed on the job.

State Parks Foundation Law Promotes Corporate “Dedicated Donations” And Corporate Naming Rights

Over $720 Million Parks Maintenance Backlog Remains Unfunded

Gov. Murphy’s Sycophantic Cluess Conservation Groups Cheerlead

NJ LCV, Ed Potosnak cheerlead Gov. Murphy

On Thursday, NJ Gov. Murphy signed legislation (P.L.2023, c.256.) to create a private “State Parks and Open Space Foundation” to solicit private and corporate donations to fund “development” of State Parks and Forests and other county and locally owned open space, historic, and preserved lands.

We warned about the major flaws in this legislation last year (see this and this).

We also were perhaps the only place where the public could learn of the shocking fact that there is a $720 million deficit in State Parks maintenance, a huge issue ignored by the NJ press corps, see:

• Murphy DEP Commissioner Dropped A Bombshell Today In Budget Hearing: NJ State Parks Face A $720 Million Maintenance Deficit

The Gov. has ignored this issue and this legislation will do very little to fund those deficits, but it will promote both privatization and commercialization and allow undue corporate influence on the management of State Parks and Forests.

According to Gov. Murphy’s Jan. 12 press release: (emphasis mine)

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today signed S1311/A594, which establishes the NJ State Parks and Open Space Foundation within the Department of Environmental Protection. The foundation will be incorporated as a nonprofit corporation and will be responsible for raising funds for the maintenance and development of New Jersey’s state parks and forests, as well as county and municipal parks and open spaces.

“Thanks to this monumental legislation, our state’s natural treasures will only become more invaluable as we continue to invest in their preservation, resilience, and accessibility,” said Governor Murphy. “From Liberty State Park to Island Beach State Park, our state parks and forests will continue to attract visitors to the Garden State while providing physical and mental health benefits for countless New Jersey families.”

First of all, let’s start with an important fact correction. The Governor’s staff and press office are incompetent. The Foundation is not, repeat not, “within the Department of Environmental Protection”. The bill was significantly amended in Assembly Committee on December 4, among other things, the lame duck amendments removed the Foundation from the DEP and made it a private corporation (read the bill statement that summarizes the amendments:

5) provide that the foundation would be a separate and independent entity from the State and any State department;

This error suggests that the Gov.’s Office is not aware of the important lame duck amendments and doesn’t know what bill the Gov. just signed into law.

But the most important lame duck amendment was not even mentioned in the bill statement – another revealing omission that exposes the corrupt nature of this legislation. This omission was no accident, because it exposes exactly the corruption that is driving this legislation. Liberty State Park was targeted for privatization and development by billionaire Paul Fireman

Specifically, the December 4 Assembly lame duck amendments explicitly included Liberty State Park and mandated that the Foundation “convene committees dedicated to the solicitation and administration of funds for Liberty State Park”. Here’s the text from the bill the Gov. signed into law as P.L 2023, c.256: (see Section 3.k, page 6-7)

k. The foundation may convene committees to administer the work of the foundation as it may deem appropriate, including for the consideration of specific fundraising strategies. The foundation shall convene committees dedicated to the solicitation and administration of funds for Liberty State Park, Island Beach State Park, and other specific State parks, or to open space, initiatives, or projects deemed appropriate by the board, and may solicit and accept specifically dedicated donations, which shall be subject to separate and distinct accounting.

Let’s drill down. The Foundation “shall convene” projects for “Liberty State Park”.

The projects to be funded are those “deemed appropriate by the board”.

And “donations” may be “specifically dedicated”.

Billionaire Paul Fireman has his checkbook open.

On top of that, the legislation specifically allows for corporate naming rights  (page 9, emphasis mine):

“The process shall ensure that any attribution or recognition for a donation is minimal and equal regardless of the. size of a donation.”

Corporate NJ will soon be using State Parks and Forests as corporate advertising. And not just State Parks – the law is extremely broad:

“State parks and open space” means State parks, forests, historic sites, natural areas, wildlife management areas, and any other lands, waters, and facilities owned or administered by the department for recreation and conservation purposes.

There are no restrictions on the DEP’s use of the private money. The law states that DEP makes these decisions at their “sole discretion” (page 9). Good luck challenging DEP on that.

There are no ethics or conflict of interest restrictions on the donors or on the board’s “dedicated” or recommended uses of the money.

I warned that this was coming last summer (2022):

I’m sure there are billionaire’s and large corporations willing to enter into a “Partnership” with a friendly NGO and DEP to fund things like golf courses in Liberty State Park (just look at NJ Audubon’s “Corporate Stewardship” program for examples. Sustainable NJ and NJ Future, NGO’s, also have corporate Stewardship programs). […]

I’m sure there are many billionaires and corporations who are willing to pony up millions of dollars for “legacy” naming rights (Walmart Long Beach Island State Park!), or make million dollar “bequests” for all sorts of commercialization and privatization proposals, from marina’s to canoe rentals. “Comcast State Park”. “PSE&G Plaza” – think of the endless commercial possibilities! Woohoo! ~~~ see:

• NJ Senate Democrats Pushing Legislation That Could Privatize State Parks, Lead to Corporate Promotions, And Build Industrial Energy Facilities In State Parks And Forests

Those warnings were attacked by Senate Environment Committee Chairman Bob Smith as “paranoid schizophrenics”:

• Senate Environment Committee Chairman Calls Critics of State Parks And Forests Privatization Bill “Paranoid Schizophrenics”

[The bill] is a great idea and yes there can be little fixes, but I’ll say this to all my good friends out there: You’re all paranoid schizophrenics. You really are. You look at a bill that’s about getting more money, not from the taxpayers but from private sources for our parks and forest. It’s almost a no brainer.” ~~~  Senate Environment Committee Chairman Bob Smith (time 1:03:00) (6/13/22)

The Assembly Committee’s lame duck amendments to target Liberty State Park validate my warnings.

Perhaps Chairman Smith would reconsider in light of the Assembly’s lame duck stealth amendments.

Finally, my dire warnings were not only ignored by the corrupt and incompetent NJ conservation and environmental groups. They supported the bill and praised the Governor in the Governor’s press release! It seems that they got totally played and then declared victory by securing minor amendments:

1) removing “State Forests” from the title of the bill (but State forests remain within the scope of the bill and Foundation donations and “dedicated projects”);

2) deleting allowable industrial renewable energy projects;

3) inclusion of 2 “environmental justice” representatives on the Board; and

4) removing the Foundation from within the DEP (see above error by the Gov.’s Office).

I fired of this email to these corrupt idiots:

Doug O’Malley and Ed Potosnak – That law you just praised Gov. Murphy for signing will lead to privatization of State Parks (and more private influence on the management of State Parks), and do very little to nothing to address massive real problems like this, which you should be working on instead of providing political cover for a do nothing administration (ah, but you compounded the $400 million backlog by the stripping of the CBT. dedication to State Parks maintenance for the Keep It Green scam): see:

• Murphy DEP Commissioner Dropped A Bombshell Today In Budget Hearing: NJ State Parks Face A $720 Million Maintenance Deficit (almost double prior $400 million)

Toxic Polluter Concealed Data From Regulators On Carcinogenic Chemical At A Critical Time

Paltry $70 Per Day Fine Levied On Coim, Inc. For 4 Years Of False Chemical Reporting

Donation To Local Fire Department Exposes Failure To Respond To Prior Chemical Disaster That Forced Evacuation

a few hundred feet from the High School, unsecured chemical rail cars, COIM chemical plant and refinery form a daily toxic nightmare for the people of Paulsboro

The US EPA just issued an enforcement fine against COIM, Inc. According to the EPA press release: (emphasis mine)

EPA reached a settlement with COIM USA, Inc. (COIM) for allegedly violating the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) at their chemical manufacturing facility in West Deptford, New Jersey. Failure of facilities to accurately disclose chemical information deprives local community members and officials of their right to know about releases and the presence of chemicals in their neighborhoods. Under the settlement, COIM will pay a $101,400 penalty. Additionally, the company will undertake a supplemental environmental project (SEP) estimated to cost approximately $25,000 to purchase emergency planning and preparedness equipment for the West Deptford Fire Department.

A little context and history is necessary in order to understand just how serious the violations were and just how lame this EPA enforcement response is. It is an insult to the community and illustrates a longtime pattern of lax regulation and enforcement.

Paulsboro, NJ is a working class community located in the middle of a giant Petro-chemical complex along the Delaware River. It is a place I’ve called a “sacrifice zone”, given the concentration of toxic polluters and virtual abandonment by lax government regulators who have been captured by those corporate polluters.

In addition to daily ongoing toxic pollution, the Pauslboro refinery routinely has “upsets” that belch toxic air pollutants, just a few hundred feet from the High School.

A decade ago, a train loaded with toxic chemicals, traveling over a decrepit rail bridge, derailed and released a toxic cloud that forced evacuation of the community.

scene of the crime. Rail bridge over 100 years old – millions of pounds of toxic chemicals regularly cross this bridge.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an accident Report in 2014 documenting numerous failures – validating our severe criticism written shortly after that derailment.

One of the many failures NTSB criticized included a lack of local chemical emergency planning, preparedness, training, equipment, response capacity, and community awareness and involvement. The State DEP’s response was also strongly criticized by NTSB.

This history exposes why the EPA enforcement action is so flawed.

First let’s look at COIM’s violation (EPA):

The settlement resolves EPA’s allegations that COIM failed to accurately report the off-site transfers and disposal methods of 1,4-Dioxane, in their Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reports for the years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The TRI program requires facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use certain toxic chemicals above threshold levels to report annually on their releases and other waste management activities. In response to EPA’s request for the raw data and information that supported their 1,4-Dioxane TRI reports, COIM identified chemical records they had previously not considered and reevaluated their calculations and waste transfer descriptions. Accordingly, COIM updated its calculations and waste transfer descriptions, fixed its TRI reports, and set up internal controls to prevent future violations.

These are not minor paperwork violations, because they put the entire community’s health, safety, and environment at risk. According to the NJ DEP:

Information on health effects of 1,4-dioxane comes primarily from studies of laboratory animals, which show that prolonged exposure to low levels of 1,4-dioxane may result in adverse health impacts. Research suggests lifelong exposure to 1,4-dioxane may be associated with an increased risk of cancer or damage to the kidneys or liver. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified the chemical as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” from long-term exposure.

In addition to its human health impacts, 1,4 dioxane is also harmful to natural resources. It is a recognized animal carcinogen, and has been shown to be taken up by fish, aquatic microorganisms, and other biota.

The violations were chronic and occurred over a period of more than 4 years.

Furthermore, the failure by COIM to disclose their use, environmental release, and off site disposal of this toxic chemical occurred from 2018 – 2021. That timeframe is critical.

During that timeframe, the NJ DEP was investigating pollution sources of dioxane to the Delaware River, developing groundwater and drinking water standards, and, in March 2023 DEP filed a lawsuit. (see DEP:

• Responding to Emerging Contaminants: 1,4-Dioxane

So there is strong suspicion that COIM’s failure to disclose accurate information was intentional and designed to deceive regulators and stall regulation, evade liability for Delaware River and local pollution, and frustrate a lawsuit.

These are therefore knowing, bad faith and chronic serious violations that warrant far more severe enforcement fines and penalties.

The EPA fine of $101,400 amounts to just $70 a day for the 4 year period the violations were ongoing.

That’s worse than a joke. It doesn’t even pay the annual salary and benefits of one US EPA employee!

Even worse is the Salvation Army like donation to the West Deptford fire Department: “$25,000 to purchase emergency planning and preparedness equipment for the West Deptford Fire Department” (EPA)

In addition to the penalty, COIM agreed to perform a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), which involves purchasing and providing fire turnout gear (safety clothing) for the West Deptford Fire Department. The SEP will help the fire department improve their ability to respond to emergencies involving hazardous chemicals such as 1,4-Dioxane in West Deptford and the surrounding communities.

The West Deptford fire department should have state of the art equipment, given the risks from the concentration of hazardous chemicals in their community.

The EPA driven paltry $25,000 COIM donation of basic items like “safety clothing” reveals that they do not – which is incredibly negligent a decade after a massive toxic train derailment forced evacuation of the community and the NTSB report strongly criticized deficiencies in the local emergency response program.

Finally, the fact that COIM could get away with concealing  data on 1,4 dioxane during a time when the DEP was “rigorously” investigating and developing regulations on that chemical illustrates just how lax DEP regulation, environmental monitoring, facility inspection, and enforcement are. DEP literally was blind.