Chris Christie is no moderate on the environment [View all]

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http://grist.org/politics/chris-christie-is-no-moderate-on-the-environment/

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You’ve read about Chris Christie, subject of two cover profiles in Time magazine this year — and there will be lots more media fawning now that he’s been reelected as governor of New Jersey and positioned himself as a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination. He’s a bold truth-teller confronting the flat-earthers among his fellow Republicans, goes the narrative, a moderate pragmatist who puts getting things done above partisanship or ideology, especially when dealing with Hurricane Sandy.

Well, none of that is true when it comes to the environment.

Meet the other Chris Christie, right-wing reactionary. This Chris Christie has eviscerated protections for clean water, taken rule-making authority away from nonpartisan civil servants and handed it to his political appointees, and refused to link Sandy to climate change.

“Christie on a lot of environment issues will step right in line with the Tea Party and the Koch brothers,” says Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.