Christie defends environmental record against “Corzine lie”
Chris Christie’s team seems to be playing defense on the environment. His camp sent out an e-mail blast today calling the idea that he will cut environmental protection a “Corzine lie.” (Where are we hearing said lie? In one Corzine campaign commercial mentioned today in a Times article online, we learn that “Republican Christie is silent on global warming and will cut environmental protection. Jon Corzine’s creating jobs and making New Jersey a leader in green, renewable energy. So who stands with you?”)
While Christie has proposed cutting an already slimmed down DEP, the e-mail acknowledged this as a not-so-bad thing, saying that the agency as he’d run it would be “smaller, smarter and more effective.”
What do you think? Tread below the jump for the full Christie campaign e-mail.
FACT: Chris Christie fought hard to protect our environment as U.S. Attorney. In cases like U.S. v. Atlantic, Chris held polluters responsible for their crimes by jailing them and using their fine money to support NJ environmental non-profits and their work. Examples include:
U.S. v. Evergreen Corp., which produced fine money which purchased 300 additional acres at the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge and 120 additional acres at the Edwin Forsythe Wildlife refuge in Ocean County.
U.S. v. Wallenius Corp., which produce $1.65 million in fine money used for projects to protect the Hudson Raritan Estuary watershed.
U.S. v. Clipper Trojan Corp., which produced $1.5 million in fine money used by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation exclusively for NJ environmental protection projects.
While Jon Corzine uses the environment for his untruthful smear ads, Chris Christie stands for protecting the environment including efficiently and carefully utilizing our resources. Chris opposes drilling off of the Jersey Shore and encourages the exploration of all types of alternative energy sources, including windmills. Jon Corzine’s bloated, ineffective DEP is crushing business and not sufficiently protecting our environment. Christie’s DEP would be smaller, smarter and more effective.
June 9th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Christie’s own campaign website brags about how he will gut the DEP. With many NJ communities getting failing grades on air quality and the large number of industrial companies in the state, it is insane to say that you are pro-environment like Christie does and want to remove regulations or gut agencies that will protect NJ’s families from health problems.
After he makes it easier for companies to pollute the environment and cause health problems for residents, how does he propose to help the families who have a lifetime of illness from the pollution he is promoting?
June 9th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Republican candidates talk a good game with regard to the environment, however, with the record of former Governor Whitman as the model, she was often photographed canoeing and biking in our open spaces while at the same time she was gutting the staff at NJDEP. The Republican record with environmental issues, both on the national and state level, is dismal legacy of ignoring the science, interference with enforcement process, and accommodation of corporate violators of environmental laws. Governor Whitman’s record was a clear failure of environmental leadership and for all the happy talk from the Christie campaign, there is nothing in his background to suggest that he would handle the environment differently from his Republican colleagues. Sure, he prosecuted Federal environmental laws, he was forced to, he was the US Attorney. As Governor, he will be a less enthusiastic environmentalist.