DEP Commissioner McCabe to Testify Before the Assembly Budget Committee

The NJDEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe will testify before the Assembly Budget Committee on the agency’s environmental protections. The proposed FY2019 budget includes initiatives for clean energy and fighting climate change but continues the pattern of slashing the DEP budget. This year the agency is allocated $275 million; down from $321 million from last year’s budget. The budget also diverted $140 million from the Clean Energy Fund. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“Commissioner McCabe will talk about the DEP budget today in front of the Assembly Budget Committee. It is important that the Budget Committee challenge the Commissioner on how environmental budget cuts will impact New Jersey, how environmental settlement money will be used for, if the DEP will update standards related to water quality and climate change, and how the agency will protect public land from private use in New Jersey. It is important that the Assembly Budget Committee ask McCabe the following questions:

Water

• In January, 2018, the New Jersey State Legislature rescinded a controversial rule that critics argued threatened drinking-water from the Highlands by allowing more development in the preservation area of the region. The state legislature contended the rule allowing greater density of septic tanks in parts of the 880,000-acre region is inconsistent with the legislative intent of the original law creating the New Jersey Highlands. Will the DEP repeal these highlands rules?

Climate Change

• Commissioner McCabe said it would take 2 years to rejoin RGGI however Virginia has already closed public comments on a rule to join RGGI. By taking so long, we are going to miss out on the benefits of RGGI. Why is it taking so long to re-join?

Budget and Open Space

• The DEP should have $421 million as their overall income from state, federal, and dedicated funds; yet their budget is only $275 million. The proposed budget still diverts money out of the DEP from programs such as the Spill Act and the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund, at least $80 million. The budget also takes about $90 million from the Clean Energy Fund for other purposes including $80 million for NJ Transit and $5 million to implement RGGI. This Fund is meant to support projects that make our homes more resilient such as weatherization, along with energy efficiency and green jobs. How much money is being diverted from important DEP or other state programs? How much money is being diverted from the Clean Energy Program?

• The DEP has seen a 40% cut over the last 10 years, and it is being cut again. The budget cuts the DEP budget overall by 14% but what is worse is that they are cutting operations from $213 to $207 million.  Is the DEP going to start hiring more people to do the core work of the department?

• The Sierra Club and others were denied an OPRA request for public information regarding contracts and RFP on LSP Caven’s Point. We are concerned of proposed plans for a private golf course on Caven’s Point. Where are the plans to privatize Liberty State Park? Is there a stakeholder process going on? Will there be an open and public process that includes the Statehouse Commission on any of these plans?

• What are the plans in securing a full ban on all aspects of fracking in the Delaware river basin, including withdrawals and wastewater discharge?

• Governor Christie has formally accepted the $72 million settlement from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been named lead agency in administering the funds. How will these funds be used?

Environmental Settlements

• DEP is receiving money from environment settlements including the $200 million gas station settlement. Why is this not reflective in the budget? Why aren’t these fund uses to increase DEP staff? If the DEP is getting funds from these settlements, why is it being cut?

“From denying climate change to rolling back protections on drinking water to making contracts with special interests, Christie and Bob Martin’s DEP continuously sided against protecting the environment. In order to protect our clean water, clean air, and open space, we need Commissioner McCabe to turn the agency around. We need the DEP to take leadership in securing a full ban on all aspects of fracking in the Delaware river basin, including withdrawals and wastewater discharge. The DEP must also protect the public trust. It is essential that any project that would privatize public land be transparent to the public. Plans like a private millionaire’s golf club at LSP Caven’s Point must be available to the public.

“The DEP is losing funding and staff in this budget. This means there may not be enough people to do the job that needs to be done to grow the economy while protecting the environment. We cannot improve the environment without improving funding for those programs. In the past we have gone after Christie’s budget when it raided funds and cut programs. Unfortunately, Murphy’s budget is all too similar. We know Christie dug a huge financial hole and it will take time to start digging us out of it, but we need to start now.  We need the Legislature and the Governor to put the resources in this budget that are necessary for the DEP to make sure our land is clean, our air is pure, and we are able to keep parks open for the people of New Jersey,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.  “After 8 years of Christie, we are ready for the DEP to move forward and protect the environment from his rollbacks. This budget is critical for us to do that.”