The DEP Inland Flood Rule: All in favor say aye - by Feb 3rd! - opinion & instructions

Remember George Carlin? For the youngins, he was an edgy stand-up comic of yesteryear who mocked humankind: "...and the greatest arrogance of all: SAVE THE PLANET. Save the planet? ...we don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet." he complained. He was right. If we knew how to take care of ourselves, we would not pave over everything green around us in the name of profit, in my opinion. 

Through his ranting about environmentalists saving the planet, back in 1992, George's sarcasm cut deep, "… and we think some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet isn’t going anywhere. WE are!" He ranted, "Pack your s#!t, folks. We’re going away. And we won’t leave much of a trace, either. Maybe a little Styrofoam … The planet’ll be here and we’ll be long gone. Just another failed mutation. Just another closed-end biological mistake. An evolutionary cul-de-sac. "The planet’ll shake us off like a bad case of fleas."  

If we don't stop greed from dominating in government, George will be as good a soothsayer as Nostradamus. 

Kudos to Jon Hurdle, a contributing writer for NJ Spotlight News, and other environmentally focused journalists who take up the paramount task of keeping us in the know. Here is his recent piece on the Inland Flood Rule hearing that happened on Jan 11. Thanks also to Brianna Vanozzi, of NJ Spotlight News,  who recently interviewed Governor Murphy and held his feet to the fire about the new rule.  He stuck to empty rhetoric, but it's good to see him being challenged. See that interview here. 

We must go online to implore the DEP to adopt the Inland Flood Rule WITH NO EXCEPTIONS, NO GRANDFATHER CLAUSES, and NO MORE DELAYS! Click here to read about the new rule and to send your comments to the DEP. Tell them we  cannot let the builder's lobby succeed in any further delays, or let them slip through any loopholes that permit them to bring further devastation to our home state. Tell them that no single business' profit or loss is more important than saving the lives of New Jerseyans and preventing billions of taxpayer dollars from being designated to lifetimes of restoration from immeasurable loss. At the hearing, Hurdle quoted Ray Cantor, a spokesman for the NJBIA (New Jersey Business & Industry Association & a culprit of the PACT rules delay IMO), as saying, "it's not fair," referring to having to pay to recalculate stormwater management to current flood maps to prepare for current and future storms. He actually said that!

It's not fair?  Seriously?  Well, cry me a river Ray! Life is not fair. When bad things happen, we have to adjust. Get over it. Your one time loss cannot be the burden of millions of people for generations to come, in lives lost and billions in relief funding.  Mother Nature has spoken, and we have to listen. Greed and politics should not change the fact that we must now do all we can to keep our planet habitable, or Mother Earth will shake us off like a bad case of fleas, just like George said. No, Ray, you and your friends cannot be untethered open-space predators, and just pave over every square inch of green you can get your hands on in the name of profit. You have enough. Do it right or not at all. Governor Murphy needs to actually live up to his words and create action, not flimsy rhetoric that never actually delivers. He's a paper tiger with no bite, no claws... only roar. 

Remember, public comment is until Feb 3. Tell them what they already know!