As Governor Mikie Sherrill Must Lead on The Environment -It's Essential for Our States Future!

BY JEFF TITTEL

The Mikie Sherrill Transition is unique from having the Inauguration in Newark to having 500 plus people involved in the Transition. What also is unique it's the first transition without an Environmental Transition Committee. My concern the environment has not gotten the attention it deserves, and it needs to be a top priority for the incoming Sherrill Administration. Whatever happens nationally on the environment will happen New Jersey first. We face climate catastrophe, flooding, toxic chemicals, threats to clean air and clean water, and rampant overdevelopment.

We also face a bigger threat: the Trump War on the Environment. His administration rolled back more than 150 environmental rules and cut the EPA budget by 55%. New Jersey DEP gets 25% of its funding from the EPA, so these cuts could be devastating.The loss of EPA help and oversight especially on cleaning up toxics sites and protecting our beaches and water ways .

One of the first priorities must fixing the NJDEP itself. After eight years Gov Christie's roll backs followed Murphy Administration with its cuts and lack of caring about New Jersey’s environment. As a member of congress Mikie Sherrill has  a good record on the environment. We are hopeful that the Sherrill Administration will step forward with a real plan and resources to move our environment forward. She will also needs to lead on the environment to deal with our many environmental issues and challenges.

NJDEP now has fewer staff than under Christie—about 400 fewer—and a 15% lower budget. Its backlog of park repairs has grown from $400 million to $720 million, and we are not investing enough in urban parks. They did these cuts while doubling the number of senior managers. The Murphy Administration eliminated the Division of Enforcement, and the Environmental Justice law has more holes than a screen door. We need to rebuild the NJDEP from the ground up.

Murphy appointed a DEP Commissioner who was previously a lawyer and lobbyist for corporate polluters and kept most of Christie’s rollbacks to environmental rules in place. Many Christie appointees remain on the Highlands and Pinelands Commissions. There is a lot to fix—including hiring a new DEP Commissioner with government experience and management skills. This person should not come from the business world. DEP is not a business; it needs to be managed and restored, not run like a corporation.

Mikie Sherrill as a candidate called for cutting red tape and streamlining permits. If we really want the department to be more effective and efficient, the answer is not “cutting red tape”—which is code for rolling back environmental protections. The answer is resources: enough staff to do the job, modern equipment to work efficiently, and a reformed management structure. We need to break down the silos within the agency and develop a holistic approach to natural resources, biodiversity, ecosystems, and permitting. Permitting should move more efficiently by requiring applicants to lessen environmental impacts, provide mitigation, and deliver real public benefit.

We must restore the independent Division of Enforcement and the independent Division of Science. We also need to streamline upper-level management and eliminate unnecessary managers.

The Environment was not big issues l during Sherrill's campaign now not during Transition. This is very troubling. It shows that the environment is not as  high on Sherrill’s agenda as it should be . I blame the “Zoom-chair warriors” of the Big Green groups for not making this a bigger issue during the campaign and failing to extract a real environmental agenda during the endorsement process. For example, in 2001 I was able to get candidate McGreevey to commit to Clean Cars, the Highlands Act, and C1 stream protections. That is part of the reason it became a priority then. It does not seem to be happening  this time.

But you cannot have affordability without an environmental agenda. The environment doesn’t care about politics—hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, chemical spills, refinery explosions, toxic water, and overdevelopment will all force action. New Jersey is among the top states for FEMA payouts and property damage from flooding. We are number two in the nation for building in flood-prone areas. We have some of the worst air quality in the country. Only one of our stream systems meets the Clean Water Act’s highest standards. We are among the top states for temperature rise and number three for sea-level rise.

We need a coastal commission or coordinated planning to manage chronic flooding and adaptation, updated flood and coastal rules, and real decisions on where to retreat, where to elevate, and where to harden. We must end logging and attempts to privatize and industrialize public lands. We need to reform the Division of Fish and Wildlife to actually enhance our habitat ecosystems and wildlife. Most importantly we need to release hundreds of millions of dollars in open space funds to buy farmland and environmentally sensitive lands before they are lost to development.

We Need to have an aggressive legal strategy to fight EPA rollbacks. We can pass laws to restore environmental programs and standards .We should also pass legislation modeled on Oregon’s response to the Trump rollbacks:

• Oregon Environmental Protection Act: Adopt Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act federal standards as of January 19, 2017, into state law—ensuring that baseline protections remain even if federal standards are weakened. The law also allows stricter state rules than federal standards.

New Jersey should adopt real climate rules and regulate greenhouse gases to actually reduce emissions. We need to update our rules to lessen climate impacts, and reform toxic cleanup laws to restore DEP oversight over the LSRP program (Licensed Site Remediation Professionals).

We must reduce toxic pollution and chemical use through existing laws. All water treatment facilities should be required to remove carcinogenic chemicals like PFAS—this was first proposed in 2007. We should update solid and hazardous waste rules to reduce pollution and increase recycling. Update Highlands and Pinelands rules to better protect ecosystems and address climate impacts. Appoint new commissioners who support their missions and properly fund them.

Make polluters pay for pollution and climate impacts. Fix the Environmental Justice rules so they actually reduce pollution and protect overburdened communities. Limit and stop overdevelopment of our last remaining forests and farmland, using a strategy that protects habitat, watersheds, and enforces a real state plan. We need to regulate warehouses and data center development.

Donald Trump’s policies are an existential threat to our environment. His actions would have devastating effects on New Jersey, because we are the state most vulnerable to climate disruption, flooding, and overdevelopment. We must stand up to Trump, but we must also modernize and fund our own environmental governance.

Affordability means clean air, clean water, open space, and cleaning up toxic sites. Our economy is dependent on a healthy environment our top 3 industries depend on it; Tourism, Food Processing and Pharmaceutical/ Petrochemical. Plus it's important for quality of life and public health. The  Governor needs to lead on the environment and it must be a top  priority for the Sherrill Administration. Our State Future is dependent on it .