Dear Jeff - You Reap What You Sow

by: vmars

Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 07:27:00 AM EST

Sen. Loretta Weinberg had a little something to say on this subject, too - - Promoted from the diaries by Rosi

Jeff Tittel, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, has forgotten the basic tenet of environmentalism: protect and heal the environment.

Tittel has turned from caring for the environment to caring about his ego, spinning perceived slights to his person into huge attacks on the natural world. The most egregious of these examples was attacking Jon Corzine for running the "worst environmental administration in state history" and endorsing Chris Daggett for Governor. Tittel's incredible blindness caused him to attend the Chris Christie victory celebration.

Tittel conveniently ignored the incredible record on renewable energy Corzine built up, the added money for open space, the promotion of DEP Director Lisa Jackson to head the Obama administration's EPA, the toughest global warming law in the country, the lawsuits to gain tighter fuel and emissions standards, etc., etc., etc.

Corzine didn't have a perfect record on the environment, but he was surely not the worst Governor ever on the issue. But Tittel didn't get what he wanted, to have his ego stroked and his pet projects given top priority during a massive economic, political and ethical crisis in the state.

Talking to some friends after the election I wondered how long it would take for Tittel to eat his words (hint: it'll never happen, because he cares more about being seen than being right). Were Tittel honestly supportive of the environment, that day would be today as he asked every one of us who cares about these issues for forgiveness.

Here's the opening salvo from Tittel's new friend:

The state's Council on Affordable Housing "has to be gutted" and the state Department of Environmental Protection transformed into a "more effective, efficient, consumer-friendly agency," Gov.-elect Chris Christie said Friday.

Consumers don't really spend as lot of time with the DEP, Jeff. The people who want faster (and you can bet looser) permitting are construction companies, polluters, massive corporations, etc. Christie wants to help these people get quicker permission to build on our dwindling open space, environmentally sensitive areas and wildlife areas.

In short, they want to fuck the environment in order to make money.

And you, Jeff, helped make this happen.

Members of the Sierra Club should start thinking twice about Jeff Tittel and his public statements. They should complain to the board of directors when he goes off the rails, and refuse to give anything beyond basic dues until he starts putting the environment first and his ego somewhere way down the list.

The easiest way to check Tittel is to watch Christie gut the DEP, push for more building and stop focusing on renewable energy and see if Tittel remarks on it.

vmars :: Dear Jeff - You Reap What You Sow

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Dear Jeff - You Reap What You Sow | 6 comments

looking for a link (0.00 / 0)

I too was disgusted by Tittel's quotes from the Christie election night celebration. He apparently left the Daggett event after his concession speech. To me this just shows that he is an unprincipled media whore - just couldn't stay away from the media.

I read somewhere recently that Tittel issued a statement to the effect that Sierra looked forward to working with Christie. Get the barf bag, please (this echoes Carl Pope saying he wanted to work with Whitman at EPA. We know how that turned out).

As Jeff has aged, he's become an insider - no different than any other corrupt Trenton lobbyist who craves access and the sound bite.

For some history of how we got here, check out:
http://wolfenotes.com/2009/08/...
.

by: Winston Smith @ Sat Nov 07, 2009 at 16:44:30 PM CST

me me media (4.00 / 1)

Getting cited in the press and reading your pithy quips in print can be very intoxicating. Personally I am glad I'm not chasing that dragon.

by: Jay Lassiter @ Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 07:48:23 AM CST

The biggest problem (0.00 / 0)

with some environmental groups is that, in their eyes, if you don't pick the EXACT same battles they do, your efforts on other fronts don't matter at all.

By narrowly defining being "good on the environment" as being for the 2 or three projects Jeff champions, he will ALWAYS be disgruntled.

As a construction engineer, I gotta tell you - the DEP is NOT onerous on us. They have been bending over backwards to help us figure out how to improve water quality. They are in a learning curve - just like us. The older civil engineers have finally realized the old ways just don't work anymore. We are all trying to find out together how to fix the environment.

The DEP is currently investigating new technology to do this - with the help of private companies who are inventing new things every day. The DEP is currently giving classes all the time on the latest science to keep us all informed. They are a go-to place for information for those of us in private practice.

The old fashioned idea of us vs them doesn't really exist in NJ these days. The contractors may be thinking that the regulations are a pain, but the private engineers know better. The regulations produce a better project, and a better result due to the way the process works. That is if and only if certain developers don't get to skirt the rules due to graft and corruption. The system only works if EVERYBODY plays by the same rules.

One Vote. Yours. It really does matter.

by: carolh @ Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 10:34:35 AM CST

Consumer friendly (0.00 / 0)

only works at the local level. And in NJ that means at the Borough Engineer and building Department and local planning board level, which is run by the Mayor. Until we end pay to play at the local level, our system to protect the environment will continue to malfunction.

One Vote. Yours. It really does matter.

by: carolh @ Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 10:38:38 AM CST

The COAH (0.00 / 0)

laws are not environmentally friendly, but we can change that. COAH says we have to count a tear-down as a totally added dwelling instead of as a replacement. This causes a bloated requirement in the towns that already have open space at such a premium that there is no more room to build.

Whoever it was who decided to count one new house as two houses should be fired. Pronto.

One Vote. Yours. It really does matter.

by: carolh @ Sun Nov 08, 2009 at 10:44:30 AM CST