For Immediate Release
March 11, 2010 Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club Director, 609-558-9100
Don't Privatize the Environment Sierra Club Statement on Christie's Privatization Plan
The Sierra Club is concerned that Governor Christie's Execute Order 17, which sets up a task force to privatize state functions, is part of an overall plan to weaken environmental protections and enforcement in New Jersey.
We're troubled that the Executive Order will be used to eliminate employees in the DEP and other agencies. The task force is stacked with lobbyists and industry representatives with clients who would be affected by privatization.
We're concerned privatization will allow firms with relationships to polluters and developers to write their own permits, resulting in an overall weakening of environmental protections and creating conflicts of interest.
"The concern we have is that we'll be turning the henhouse over to the fox to be guarded," NJ Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel said.
Outsourcing government functions will make decisions less transparent and limit the ability of citizens to get access to permits and other environment reviews. "Outsourcing could give the Highlands Council over to Hovnanian or air permitting over to DuPont," Tittel said.
In the past, New Jersey has had some real problems with private consultants, whether it's the Parsons Motor Vehicle Inspections debacle or E-ZPass. We believe further privatization will be detrimental to the enforcement of environmental protections in New Jersey.
Kara Seymour, Program Assistant NJ Sierra Club
145 W. Hanover Street Trenton, NJ 08618
609.656.7612
(f) 609.656.7618
<http://www.newjersey.sierraclub.org> www.newjersey.sierraclub.org
Received on 2010-03-11 09:16:15