Community Corner

Flaws at Department of Environmental Protection, Audit Reveals

State audit reveals uncollected fees, unpaid fines are among irregularities uncovered at Land-Use Management, other programs, according to NJ Spotlight.

Written by Tom Johnson, NJ Spotlight

Not collecting fines for violations of land-use regulations. Issuing permits without checking whether the applicants have paid their fees. Taking no further action when polluters fail to pay penalties assessed by the agency.

Those were among the recurring problems that the State Auditor in the Office of Legislative Services uncovered in the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Land Use Management and other programs.

The audit heightened criticism from Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, who had already taken the agency to task after reviewing its enforcement records earlier this month. The records show that even as the DEP stepped up inspections for potential violations of environmental laws, the number of enforcement actions fell by more than half since 2008.

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