WolfeNotes.com

INTERNAL FEMA DOCUMENTS SHOW DELAYS, CONFLICTS WITH NJ STATEMENTS

WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE SPARKED INQUIRY

This is the latest development, growing out of the recent settlement of a FOIA lawsuit we filed against FEMA,  in a story we broke back in February 2014. Our work was driven by a whistleblower’s disclosures, see PEER press release: JERSEY SANDY ENERGY GRANT AWARDS RAISE MORE QUESTIONS

• Background – How We Got Here

Last March, after a month of discussions with editors and reporters, the story initially got picked up by reporter Scott Gurian of NJ Spotlight and WNYC .

Based on the documents we disclosed, Gurian wrote a series of stories:

• INVESTIGATION REVEALS SANDY ENERGY GRANT PROGRAM RIDDLED WITH ERRORS

• SANDY STORY ON MISALLOCATION OF FUNDS EARNS KUDOS FROM SENATE PRESIDENT

• STATE PROBE CONFIRMS SANDY ENERGY GRANT PROGRAM FRAUGHT WITH ERRORS

• IN-HOUSE PROBE OF BRIDGEGATE TURNS UP SERIOUS FLAWS IN SANDY GRANTS

• STATE REVISES SANDY FUND FOR BACKUP GENERATORS, AFTER LENGTHY REVIEW

• REPORTS BY NJ SPOTLIGHT AND NJ PUBLIC RADIO HELP CORRECT SANDY FUNDING FOUL-UP

After all that, Mr. Gurian – basking in self congratulation – thought he had the story wrapped up and declared victory and moved on to other stuff.

But, because we had internal sources, we knew that Gurian had not gotten the story right, so we filed a FOIA request of FEMA documents to get the real story.

We just prevailed in that FOIA lawsuit and forced FEMA to disclose the documents.

What we found in those documents – aside from incompetence and public policy failures – are a pattern of politics , mismanagement, spin, and deceit by the Christie Administration.

Specifically, in the run-up to the November 2013 election, with the help of the notorious (i.e. Bridge-gate) Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Governor Christie issued a press release on October 9, 2013  announcing FEMA energy grant awards to 146 NJ  municipalities.

FEMA documents show that Christie press release was totally misleading.

Revealing the partisan nature of the Administration’s handling of the program, the Governor’s press release was immediately followed by press releases by Senate and Assembly Republicans – I guess the Democrats didn’t get the memo.

But when we blew the whistle on this, the DEP claimed that the FEMA energy grant awards were “preliminary” and that nothing had been submitted to FEMA.

That was a lie – documents had been submitted to FEMA but not approved.

Finally, in July 2014 Report, the Christie Administration claimed that they had conducted an in depth investigation and that all the problem were fixed.

That too was a lie.

And to top it all off, in a July 10 2014 press release, the Governor’s Office tried to sweep all this under the rug.

None of this was reported by Mr. Gurian at the time.

So, get the whole story and read the documents for yourself, from our friends at PEER:

NEW JERSEY STILL SITTING ON FEMA SANDY ENERGY FUNDS

Delays Caused by Continual State Dithering and Ever Shifting Priorities 

NJ Losing Jobs and Investment Due to Christie Ideology & Political Ambition

World’s first “eHighway” for electrified trucks to be trialled in California

[Update: 2/3/15 – here is a national story on what I’m driving at, focused on Christie’s kill of the ARC project:

• Blind to the Future    ~~~ end update]

While NJ can’t fix pot holes and suffers severe traffic congestion and unhealthy air quality, let’s take a look at just two innovative transportation programs being implemented by our west coast friends in California.

No wonder private sector investment and talented young people are locating there, instead of NJ.

NJ used to be the east coast version of California, in terms of leadership in education, environmental and technological policy and investments (instead of political stunts like this).

First, let’s take a look at public transit (hit title for link):

CalSTA and Caltrans Seek Public Input on Transit-Focused
Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Programs

The 2014-15 State Budget provides $832 million to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund from Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds to support existing and pilot programs that will reduce GHG emissions and benefit disadvantaged communities. This expenditure plan will reduce emissions through several programs, including ones modernizing the state’s rail system (including both high-speed rail and public transit), encouraging sustainable community development with an emphasis on public transportation and affordable housing, restoring forests in both urban and rural settings, increasing energy, water, and agricultural efficiency and creating incentives for additional recycling.

Nothing like that in NJ –

Gov. Christie is a climate change policy denier. He diverted over $1 billion from NJ’s Clean Energy Fund to pay for corporate tax breaks. He ideologically opposes any new revenues and has made no real investments in infrastructure other than spending federal Sandy recovery funds like a drunken sailor. He  killed off shore wind, undermined expansion of solar, and blocked energy efficiency. And he tried to kill NJ’s zero emission vehicle program. He did kill the most critical NJ transit investment, the ARC rail tunnel to Manhattan, based on lies.

He opposes government planning of any kind, including transportation, air quality, climate change, Sandy recovery, or land use planning, killing NJ’s State Plan.

Christie has no professionals in his Cabinet with policy expertise, and thus has no ability to manage state government, no less design and implement innovative programs.

His “environmental justice’ and urban policy is one of total neglect, excerpt for the privatization of public schools.

But that sole “urban” policy is  driven by ideology and a cynical political motive to attack public employee unions, reward his Wall Street cronies with public educational funds, dismantle progressive public education, and provide anchors for private real estate investment to gentrify urban centers.

Second, let’s look at California’s “e-highway” program

Siemens was selected by California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to install the system because around 35,000 trucks grind through Carson every day to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the two busiest ports in the US. Traffic is expected to increase almost threefold by 2035, so authorities are looking for zero-emission solutions.

“Southern California’s air pollution is so severe that it needs, among other strategies, zero- and near-zero emission goods movement technologies to achieve clean air standards,” said Barry Wallerstein, SCAQMD’s executive officer.

NJ has similar severe air pollution problems, particularly from diesel emissions from Port Newark. We’ve written about that, see Star Ledger:

• Experts and Advocates: Pollution from Ports A High Cancer Risk to Urban NJ

But, instead of investing in real solutions to those problems and providing a minimum of justice and health protections for the people who live in the Newark area, Gov. Christie has pledged to provide “regulatory relief” to the business community and rollback and dismantle enforcement of DEP regulations.

NJ environmental groups compounded that problem by raiding and essentially dismantling the NJ diesel  emissions control and retrofit program by stealing $17 million for the Open Space program, see: