Scott Fallon

Staff Writer, @NewsFallon

When Gov. Chris Christie took office seven years ago, he made a number of moves to weaken New Jersey’s environmental regulations, saying they were a hindrance to economic growth.

He withdrew from a coalition of East Coast states that worked to reduce greenhouse gases. He weakened New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program by diverting $1 billion to balance budgets. He allowed fracking waste to be processed in New Jersey, changed rules to allow more development near waterways and pushed hard for the expansion of natural gas pipelines through the Highlands and Pinelands — the state’s most environmentally sensitive regions.

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LIBERTY STATE PARK: Development plans dropped

But with Christie's political power plummeting because of the Bridgegate scandal and his prolonged absences from New Jersey in his run for president, advocacy groups and environmentally friendly lawmakers chalked up some rare victories against him this year that they hope will carry over into 2017.

Among them:

The Christie administration in May dropped a proposal to bring large-scale private development to Liberty State Park after receiving fierce opposition from community groups and lawmakers.

After a threat of legislative override, Christie compromised on a deal in June that would prevent him from using open-space funds to plug budget holes.

The Legislature overwhelmingly passed bills this month that would ensure that money from environment legal settlements would go to restoration and not be diverted as Christie has done with millions from Passaic River polluters.

The Assembly passed a bill this month that would stop Christie’s plans to allow more development in the most protected parts of the Highlands by blocking a rule that allows more septic systems in an area that provides water to 5.4 million people.

An appellate panel said it would soon hear a challenge to the $225 million settlement between the Christie administration and Exxon Mobil over pollution in Linden and Bayonne, which environmentalists say falls far short of the $8.9 billion the state originally sought.

“I think it shows that Christie’s stranglehold over the Legislature is coming to an end,” said Doug O’Malley, director of the Environment New Jersey, an advocacy group. “He just doesn’t have the sway he used to, and the environment is going to be the beneficiary.”

Indeed, Christie’s record low approval ratings and lame duck status appear to have emboldened many lawmakers. Nowhere was that more evident than this month when rank-and-file legislators from both parties turned against an unpopular deal to allow Christie to sign a book deal in exchange for their receiving pay raises for their staff. That same day, lawmakers passed the environmental settlements bill and the Highlands protection bill.

Neither of those measures could be killed by a veto from Christie. The bill on the settlement funds, approved by three-fifths of both houses, places a proposal on the 2017 ballot that would amend the state constitution to ensure the vast majority of money won in court would be used to restore polluted areas.

The resolution to block the septic plan would force Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin to amend or withdraw the rules. The Senate has not yet voted on the measure.

Environmentalists say they will try to maintain momentum going into Christie’s last year and show his successor that they are still a lobbying force in Trenton.

The first major environmental battle of 2017 will likely be in South Jersey when the Pinelands Commission decides whether to allow a Christie-backed gas pipeline through the environmentally sensitive preserve.

“The goal going forward is trying to prevent Christie from doing any more damage,” said David Pringle, state campaign director for the advocacy group Clean Water Action. “Things are certainly looking better on the state front, but you have to remember that despite lame-duck status and approval ratings, he still holds one of the most powerful governorships in the country.”

Not every effort succeeded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature, whose leadership has often been criticized for setting aside environmental issues to make deals with the governor on transportation funding, government appointments and other matters. Although the Assembly passed a resolution in June to block changes by the Christie administration that would ease building restrictions in flood-prone areas, a bill in the Senate stalled.

Not every environmental victory involved a legislative act. A groundswell of opposition erupted over the state Department of Environmental Protection's exploring ideas to build a hotel, conference center, amusement park, amphitheater and other large-scale developments at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, with its panoramic views of Manhattan. Martin unexpectedly told a legislative panel that the Christie administration was dropping the plans, saying he and his senior staff had received "numerous beatings" on the issue.

Opposition began with a small park advocacy group, spread to larger environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, then enlisted dozens of politicians.

“It was really a grass-roots victory,” said Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park. “It showed that the people are not apathetic, that they’re not going to just lie down and let an open-space treasure be turned into a commercial venue.”