About
[Update - 10/18/12 - see in depth interview in The Philadelphia Review of Books: "A Reactionary Clearcut"
[Update: 1/12/12 - see the Morris Daily Record's "I Believe" series:
"Positive change requires countervailing pressure from well-informed citizens":
This site will focus on important stories that are being ignored or misrepresented by the media. I'll do traditional muckraking to hold the bad guys accountable; expose the lies and self serving spin of government officials and politicians; and explore how the failures of government, media, AND well meaning environmental organizations contribute to the problems we face. I'll also have some fun posting landscape photo's I shoot.
I have been involved in New Jersey environmental policy circles for more than 25 years. Most recently, in 2005, I founded and directed the New Jersey Chapter of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a national non-profit alliance of local, state and federal scientists, law enforcement officers, land managers and other professionals dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values: www.peer.org
Prior to founding NJ PEER, I served 13 years as a planner and policy analyst for the state Department of Environmental Protection (1985-1995; 2002-2004), for six years as policy director of Sierra Club's New Jersey Chapter (1996-2002); and at Pew Environment Group as the Mid Atlantic States Manager of Pew's "end overfishing campaign". I received a bachelor's degree in environmental science and public policy from Harpur College at SUNY Binghamton (1983), and attended Cornell University's graduate program in city and regional planning (1983-1985).
While at DEP from 2002-2004, I led the team that expanded the Category One Program and developed the 300 foot wide Category One Buffers initiative on over 2,000 miles of NJ waterways. This was based on a new integrated ecological assessment method for water-body anti-degradation designation under the Clean Water Act. I worked closely with Commissioner Brad Campbell to enforce the phosphorus surface water quality standard. I also staffed Governor McGreevey's Highlands Task Force and wrote the DEP and environmental provisions of the Highlands Act. Shortly after leaving DEP, I was a consultant to the Highlands Coalition and led the negotiating team for the DEP Highlands Regulations.
While at DEP from 1985-1995, I: managed NJ's RCRA Corrective Action program; co-researched & co-authored the Statewide Landfill Closure Plan; managed over $200 million in grants/loans to local recycling and material and energy resource recovery projects; staffed Governor Florio's "Solid Waste Assessment Taskforce" which imposed a moratorium on incinerators, established a new source reduction, toxics use reduction, and lifecycle assessment driven materials management policy, and set the highest recycling rate in the country. In 1995, I was forced out of DEP as a whistelblower for exposing Governor Whitman's efforts to suppress science regarding health risks of high levels of mercury in freshwater fish.
With Sierra Club, I worked with volunteers to kill the $240 million Mercer County garbage incinerator, block the Trenton/Hopewell sewer line; led the public campaign and authored the 1996 ballot question to amend the NJ Constitution to dedicate 4% of Corporate Business Tax proceeds (appx. $100 million/year) to environmental programs; authored the 1997 Watershed Management Act that established and funded NJ's watershed management planning program; provided testimony to the US Senate in opposition to Christie Whitman as EPA Administrator; and served on numerous Legislative and DEP regulatory stakeholder groups.
Read more at SourceWatch page.
All photographs are mine (unless noted) and may be used on a non-profit basis with attribution.
You may contact me at: Bill_Wolfe@comcast.net
Earth Day 2005 - Greenscam Protest. Wolfe (r) and then DEP Commissioner (who hired me in 2002 as policy advisor) Brad Campbell debate.
Bill –
Terrific photos, fine article (on the BofA, NRDC demo 30-Nov-09).
By chance, do you have a pic of *me*? I also spoke yesterday — I was the economist who spoke specifically about NRDC … wearing a knitted wool hat.
Please contact me if you do. I’m going to post my remarks on the Carbon Tax Center web site. A photo (w/ credit) to go with it would be great.
THANKS.
— Charles
Perchlorate and more found in cord blood FYI
http://www.ewg.org/minoritycordblood/BPA-cordbloodpollution
@Pat
Thanks Pat – EWG does great work. I’ll pass than info on.
Bill….I’ve been following your posts…surprised that you never commented on this. This is what the NJDEP has become….this is about as low as you can get..i’m more than a little embarrassed ..peace,….mag
http://www.politickernj.com/mayors-suit-isn-t-just-about-saving-trees-it-s-about-protecting-our-communities
Hi Bill:
Long time, no see! Just discovered this blog and I’ll be a regular reader now.
Things down here in Cape May County are still messed up. The pols are pushing the Route 55 extension, there’s no concern about running out of potable water and depleting the aquifers, BL England continues to burn West Virginia coal, and PurGen wants to release CO2 off the coast of Atlantic City. And, yes, “environmentalist” is still a four-letter word.
I also live in West Virginia now and our two big issues there are hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction and mountaintop removal. These local folks sell their souls for any jobs or cash. It’s disheartening.
I’ve written an article about the latest Route 55 extension schtick, which includes Senator Van Drew calling for the road to be an elevated highway, since that won’t harm the environment. Yeah, right! Are you interested in having the article forwarded to you?
Dear Bill,
While doing research on the net I ran into your web site. I am searching for information pertaining to stormwater / catch basin regulations affecting man made lagoons. As president of the Berkeley Shores Homeowners Civic Association, a waterfront community in Bayville, (Berkeley Township) NJ, I have concerns for the water quality of our lagoons. At times conditions are very stagnant, aided by direct runoff into the lagoons from street level catch basins. The recent ten point program outlined by the present administration includes concern for stormwater runoff controls with future grant dollars committed to corrective measures. I find little specific information on this subject other than maintenance of catch basins or modifications to same that are more efficient in trapping pollutants. Lagoon communities, with their close proximity to the bay, provide little opportunity for stormwater filtration prior to spilling directly into the lagoons. I am trying to quickly educate myself on this subject as I intend to convene a meeting with local goverment to discuss the issue and possibly take advantage of available funding.
Thankinh you in advance for your assistance,
Frederick S. Bekiarian
@Frederick S. Bekiarian
Hi Fred – you are asking a complex set of regulatory and engineering questions. There are multiple DEP regulations and permit programs that could apply – and there is not one place at DEP that explains or integrates them all!
Here are links to DEP rules that may apply:
1. Stormwater Management
http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/rules/njac7_8.pdf
2. Municipal Stormwater Permit
http://www.nj.gov/dep/dwq/msrp_home.htm
3. CAFRA
http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/rules/njac7_7e.pdf
4. Surface Water Quality Standards
http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/rules/njac7_9b.pdf
Also, in addition to regulations, there are Best Management Practices (BMPs) for stormwater and you could have wetlands, stream encroachment, and Tidelands regulatory issues as well.
I think funding decisions are being driven by Ocean County engineers- but I am not up to speed on details of implementation of the Gov.’s “10 point plan”.
You should reach out to EPA as well, and ask them what they are doing on the ground and with forcing a TMDL decision for the Bay.
Good luck!
You may want to start here:
http://www.njstormwater.org/
Bill,
There may be a story brewing in Lambertville with United Water. There are articles in the Trenton Times and the New Hope Gazette that describe an as-of-yet unexplained “wall of water”. The kind of thing a muckraker like you might be interested in.
National Starch and Chemical’s LSRP plans to remediate groundwater on a contaminated site in Bloomfield on the Third River to “NJDEP Class IIA GWQS” over which a developer plans to build residential housing. The site is in a 100 year flood plain. Is this quality standard appropriate for an active tributary to the Passaic, a flood plain, and residential direct contact?
johanna farms needs to clean up. if there are regs, they should be followed. it will help the company and all.
Nice to have run into you yesterday on Kuser Mtn.
@Miguel
Hey Man – sorry, over 2 years later, I just saw this! I assume the Mayor is targeting Ms. Kropp
I did a report on that on Turnpike tree funding fiasco May 4, 2011 – see:
http://www.peer.org/news/news-releases/2011/05/04/governor-christie’s-global-warming-honey-pot/
GLAD YOU WERE THERE AT PFOA HEARING. KEEP IT UP. YOU REPRESENT THOSE OF US WHO CANT GET THERE.