We've Established What Kind Of Person You Are...

[Laxman]

Last edited Fri Feb 27, 2015, 06:11 PM - Edit history (2)

now we're just negotiating price. Chris Christie once again proves that he will do or say anything to promote himself. He's also shown that one of the most valuable investments you can make is a donation to the Republican Governor's Association. ExxonMobil has taken full advantage of that investment opportunity.

DU'er Keepitreal started this thread this afternoon http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1024919 about the news that the Christie Administration has settled a major environmental damage claim for less than three cents on the dollar. Exxon Mobil Settles $9 Billion New Jersey Environmental Case for $250 Million: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/nyregion/exxon-mobil-settles-with-new-jersey-over-environmental-damage.html?_r=0 This is wrong on so many grounds it's hard to know where to begin.

Let's start with the fact that one of the largest donors to the RGA under Christie's leadership was Exxon Mobil http://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtedetail_contribs.php?ein=113655877 It's a miracle (a miracle I tell ya!) that Exxon gets themselves a sweet deal on a law suit where liability wasn't even in question. I believe that's called a Quid pro quo. ExxonMobil polluted about 1,500 acres of marshes, wetlands, water and meadows in NJ.

Next let's consider that Christie's Attorney General Paula Dow who will be putting her signature on this settlement was at one time a regulatory affairs counsel for-drum roll please-ExxonMobil! (how many guesses did it take for you to get it?) But hey, there's nothing to see here, is there? Hey they put it right on the state's web site so it must be O.K.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dow worked from 1980 through 1987 as an attorney for Exxon Company, U.S.A. in Texas, New Jersey and New York. In that capacity she advised clients on exploration and production, environmental and labor matters, and regulatory compliance issues.

And if the Paula Dow connection wasn't enough to make you gag, consider that Exxon Mobil's lobbying firm, Public Strategies Impact, employs a fellow by the name of Lout Goetting. Mr. Goetting used to work for-take a guess-You got it, Chris Christie, as his Deputy Chief of Staff! Quod est en Loco! (the fix is in). You just can't make this stuff up!

There are clean-up costs involved and an actual valuation of the land that ExxonMobil damaged. Consider the following from NJ's own Department of Environmental Protection's Natural Capital Report:

New Jersey is blessed with a wealth of breathtaking and highly valuable natural resources. Our beaches, forests, wetlands and other natural resources provide countless benefits to the public. In order to make wise policy, planning, and regulatory decisions, it is important to understand the worth of these resources. This report summarizes the results of a two-year study that aims to quantify the value of these resources. As a way of expressing the value, it estimates the dollar value of the services and goods produced by New Jersey’s natural capital. Natural capital consists of components of the natural environment that provide long-term benefits to society. Many of the benefits provided by natural capital come from ecological systems or ecosystems, a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and their nonliving environment, all interacting as a functional unit. Forests, wetlands, and lakes are examples of ecosystems.

Read more here: http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/naturalcap/

These natural resources have a substantial value, unless of course, the entity that destroyed them is a major donor to the RGA. Environmental damage is expensive and difficult to remediate. Holding polluters accountable financially for their actions is the only way we can even hope to attempt to clean up contamination. Christie has proven that he is always willing to sell out the people of NJ, especially in the case of environmental damage. He settled a major suit over contamination of the Passaic River in similar fashion for pennies on the dollar about a year ago. Not only did he sell out the state in that lawsuit, he diverted the money to the general budget and is allowing a less than complete clean up to occur. Looks like the same thing is happening here. A $9 billion bill settled for $250 million! Now there's a sweet deal. I'd be willing to bet even money that this settlement will also end up covering one of Christie-the Financial Genius' budget shortfalls instead of cleaning up ExxonMobil's mess that generations of NJ residents will have to live with. But hey, if it helps Christie get ahead-we can make a deal.

So yes Mr. Christie we've established what kind of person you are-but we don't even need to haggle over price. The price is right there on the OpenSecrets web site for everyone to see. (Are you looking Mr. Fishman?) It's bad enough that you've already sold yourself (although who in their right mind would pay for you?) but now you're selling out everyone who lives in NJ. Thank you for proving that no matter how low our expectations for you might be-you're always capable of going a bit lower.

[Beach Rat]

1. I guess he's gotten a work order to "roger us roundly"!

because he's Chris Christie-Male Prostitute! Now there's an image I won't be able to get out of my head!

[Laxman]

2. I Suppose That's A Polite Way To Put It....

we're certainly getting screwed. Compliments of Great Lakes Feed & Grain! (That's one of my favorite old SNL bits by the way!) Here's to hoping the day comes soon when it's time for Christie get rogered roundly! I guess roundly is the ONLY way for him to get rogered anyway.

[Laxman]

3. Just An Update To Include A Link....

to an excellent article from David Sirota in the IBT about this settlement. Its even worse than it looks. Attorney General Paula Dow-is a former Exxon Mobil attorney. ExxonMobil's lobbyist? Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Christie. ExxonMobil actually donated $1.8 million to the RGA over two years. ExxonMobil's lobbying firm Public Strategies Impact also donated $80,000 to the RGA as well. You get what you pay for!

Chris Christie Settles ExxonMobil Case After Oil Giant Gave RGA Big Cash

Before Gov. Chris Christie’s administration abruptly settled long-running state environmental litigation against ExxonMobil for far less than originally expected, the oil behemoth donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Republican group that Christie ran and that financed his election campaigns. Additionally, the Christie administration office that engineered the settlement had been run by a former Exxon lawyer.

When the case was initiated in 2004, when Democrat James McGreevey was governor, New Jersey sought $8.9 billion in damages in a suit alleging that ExxonMobil damaged more than 1,500 acres of waterfront and meadows. Yet, according to documents reported on by the New York Times on Friday, the Christie administration is settling the suit for just $250 million. Based on ExxonMobil's 2014 revenue of $411.9 billion, it will take the company roughly 5 hours to generate the sales to pay out the settlement.

Federal records show that the reduction, which represents a huge gift to ExxonMobil, follows a wave of campaign cash from the company to the Christie-run Republican Governors Association.

Since Christie's first run for governor in 2009, ExxonMobil has donated more than $1.9 million to the group, according to data compiled by PoliticalMoneyLine.com. That includes $79,000 during Christie’s 2009 campaign and $200,000 during his re-election campaign in 2013. It also includes $500,000 when he chaired the organization during the 2014 election cycle.

ExxonMobil was one of the top contributors to the RGA during that election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

According to New Jersey state documents, ExxonMobil has employed the firm Public Strategies Impact as a lobbyist in Trenton. In October 2014, Gannett Newspapers reported that the same lobbying firm cemented “an exclusive strategic partnership” with Christie’s departing deputy chief of staff, Lou Goetting, who is listed on the firm’s website.

The website, which includes a laudatory comment from an ExxonMobil official, says the firm’s outreach to lawmakers can include “meeting with the Governor’s Chief of Staff and Deputy Chiefs of Staff, meeting with Cabinet Level Officials, meeting with key staff members in the Executive Branch (and) meeting with key department staff.” Public Strategies Impact gave the Republican Governor’s Association $80,000 since 2010, according to PoliticalMoneyLine data.

Read the rest here: http://www.ibtimes.com/chris-christie-settles-exxonmobil-case-after-oil-giant-gave-rga-big-cash-1830752

That land will be polluted for generations! Exxon Mobil gets off the hook for a mere 5 hours worth of profit!

[Laxman]

4. The Swamp Just Gets Deeper......

and the muck much smellier (is that a word?)

Chris Christie Backed Law That Lets Him Divert ExxonMobil Settlement From Environmental Cleanup

Only three months before New Jersey agreed to accept $250 million in cash from ExxonMobil to settle claims the oil giant sullied public land, Gov. Chris Christie was still signaling a hard line. The governor called the ecological damage from the firm’s refining operations “staggering and unprecedented,” and his administration continued to pursue a state lawsuit seeking nearly $9 billion in damages.

Yet as the Christie administration this week agreed to shut down its case for a fraction of its original demands, a little-noticed provision tucked into the governor's 2014 state budget appears to shed light on why he was willing to strike a settlement that quickly drew accusations of reckless lenience from environmentalists.

The language in question -- the handiwork of Christie's own administration -- empowers the governor to divert money obtained from environmental litigation away from pollution cleanup programs and into the state’s general fund, where it can be used to fill budget gaps or finance corporate subsidies. The provision explicitly takes precedence over other state laws designed to direct proceeds from environmental lawsuits into New Jersey’s environmental protection programs.

And because the provision is temporary, remaining in force only until a new budget is enacted, critics say that it effectively encourages Christie’s administration to settle cases as quickly as possible to free up cash that the governor can then tap however he sees fit. The most expedient way to accelerate a settlement is to lessen the fines sought from the company facing the lawsuit.

Lori Grifa is apparently the new David Sampson. The former Christie administration official now works for Archer & Greiner who-guess what-represented Exxon Mobil! You can't make this stuff up!

http://www.ibtimes.com/chris-christie-backed-law-lets-him-divert-exxonmobil-settlement-environmental-cleanup-1831558

[Beach Rat]

5. I just finished binge-watching House of Cards!

This story is so full of insider deals and dirty money that it puts Frank Underwood to shame. I'll bet Christie is going to get sued by the people who write House of Cards for copyright infringement.