Sierra Club Director Tittel Describes ‘Severe Anxiety’ Around the DEP in McCabe’s Absence
Amid continuing speculation about a more permanent departure from the administration of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Catherine McCabe, Sierra Club Executive Director Jeff Tittel said her absence at the very least reflects an agency in turmoil.
Kathleen Frangione is currently serving as acting DEP commissioner.
Prior to her DEP job, McCabe served as an administrator with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 12 years. She has been out of the country for the last four to five weeks, in New Zealand, on a family matter. Two sources said she’s gone – asked to resign and won’t be back – but the governor’s office last night pushed back against the rumor.
Tittel suspects the rumor of her demise at the department is true.
“Bringing in someone from outside the agency like Frangione to be the acting commissioner – not that McCabe was doing such a great job – but there are people concerned about political interference,” Tittel said. “One of my friends said ‘who knows she’s missing?’ But it’s not so much about her but the institution. I think she’s gone. No one’s heard anything, and right now there are major issues being discussed. My biggest concern about her leave of absence, which could become permanent, is it’s delaying us on environmental issues.”
Tittel described tensions between McCabe and First Lady Tammy Murphy.
“There is a severe anxiety about the management structure at the DEP right now,” Tittel said. “I’m talking to people in management positions there and the question is whether the governor’s office is trying to make the DEP less independent.”
“Make the DEP less independent”? They should simply do away with it altogether. What a waste of office space.
McCabe made the fatal mistake of letting the Governor’s office pick her most senior staff. Her background is regulation not operations. She was swamped with interference and just left. The appointment of Frangione demonstrates Murphy’s lack of support for the agency. Nothing of consequence has happened since McCabe’s appointment. Her Assistant Commissioners never saw her. Not one staff meeting. People who worked on the campaign are running NJDEP, i.e. no one is running DEP.