Murphy Administration Just Privatized Construction Inspections – What Could Go Wrong?
Real Estate Interests And NJ Builders Assc. Praise Private “Regulation”
This is all brought to you by a “liberal” Democratic Governor and Legislature
My email brought me another stellar report from Gov. Murphy’s Business Action Center (BAC):
New Rules Adopted for Private Construction Inspections
Qualified developers now have access to streamlined inspection processes with the option for supplemental on-site private inspection agencies if local inspection officials are delayed. The Uniform Construction Code (UCC) Subchapter 4 defines the parameters of private inspection agencies to ensure compliance with the law.
The new rules were effective April 1 – a real April Fools Day message!
Not one public interest organization, environmental group, or private citizen participated in the regulatory process (no comments submitted). But the rules were strongly praised by business groups, including the NJ [Fossil] Fuel Merchants Assc. So, that ought to tell you something.
8. COMMENT: The New Jersey Builders Association (NJBA) strongly supports the Department’s proposed amendments to the Uniform Construction Code and are appreciative for the significant work and support on this initiative from Governor Phil Murphy, the late Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, legislative leadership, and Department staff.
RESPONSE: The Department thanks the commenter for their appreciation.
The Murphy BAC is a secret corporate lobbying group inside State government and by its own words works on behalf of private interests to undermine protective regulation:
We can connect you with government agencies, direct you to appropriate officials, facilitate meetings and follow-ups with regulatory agencies and so much more, all at no cost and strictly confidential.
Did you get that?
For example, the BAC provides secret meetings at DEP to pressure DEP regulators to relax rules, and all that is done in secret and is not subject to OPRA.
This is government promotion of corporate interests that goes well beyond Gov. Whitman’s Business Ombudsman and Gov. Christie’s Red Tape Commission.
Privatization, deregulation, subsidies, and secrecy – all in one bundle.
Gee, what could go wrong?
NJ’s construction industry has a long history of corruption and dangerous practices – from shoddy construction, to sinkholes caused by burying construction debris on site, to illegal disposal of toxic fill (AKA “dirty dirt”), to building schools on hazardous waste sites – to name just a notorious few off the top of my head.
Now, builders and developers can hire their own private inspection crews to cover all that up.
We are now witnessing the effects of decades of privatization and deregulation, as Boeing planes crash, toxic bomb trains derail and burn, oil and gas wells blowout, and cargo ships take out bridges.
The coming years are likely to add various building failures to that list.
And this is all brought to you by a “liberal” Democratic Governor and Legislature.