EPA wants Corzine to veto delay in water quality rules

by: Jason Springer

Thu Jan 14, 2010 at 12:15:00 PM EST

One of the bills passing the Legislature and heading to the Governor's desk would delay rules dealing with water quality until 2011:

Under 2008 rules aimed at protecting watersheds and limiting sprawl, the counties were supposed to submit new water-management plans last April.
Sponsors of the bills said delaying that deadline until April 2011 would give counties more time to finish the plans and protect construction jobs that may have been lost if the rules caused a slowdown in development.

The bill easily passed both houses. The sponsors and the Legislature moved forward over the objections of the EPA and now they are asking the Governor to step in and take action against the delay:

Regional Administrator Judith Enck sent letters to legislative leaders earlier this month asking them not to delay a planning process that would limit the installation of new sewer lines and septic systems.
Yesterday, she sent one to Corzine, calling the proposed delay "troubling."

She said that recovery funds were designated to help speed up the process. The Sierra club also called for a veto and noted that the rules were created under the leadership of then DEP commissioner and now EPA administrator Lisa Jackson:

"I don't think that they're going to ignore this," Tittel said. The rules were written while Lisa Jackson was commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection. She now heads the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We're basically kicking our boss in the shins," Tittel said.

The Sierra Club has a petition up allowing people to sign and call on Corzine to veto the bill. On twitter, we saw @NJHighlands retweet this message from @mpisauro:

NJ's plan to delay wasterwater management plans is a violation of the federal clean water act. NJ has ignored the law too

The bill sponsors say the delay is necessary, while those calling for a veto say a further delay violates the law. The Governor has less than a week to decide whether he will sign the bill authorizing the delay.

Jason Springer :: EPA wants Corzine to veto delay in water quality rules