APP Letter: Christie Blames Others For Sandy Recovery Delays

For some of those that attended Governor Christie's recent town hall meeting or watched it live on T.V., the governor's attempt to blame President Obama and other federal agencies for his administration's failures to properly oversee  Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts rang hollow. It appeared as nothing more than a weak attempt at pandering to an audience that was full of angry and desperate storm victims unhappy with the slow, snail like pace that it has taken thus far to get their lives back to normal and into their homes.

As Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, states in his excellent letter to the Asbury Park Press, "Harry Truman said “the buck stops here.” Under Gov. Christie, the only thing that stops is the traffic on the George Washington Bridge." You can read the letter below:

Almost 16 months after superstorm Sandy, there have been delays in rebuilding and half the federal relief funding from the first round still has not been spent, yet Gov. Christie seems to be blaming everyone else.

First it was the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, then the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It’s the Christie administration’s action plan that they proposed, and their Department of Community Affairs that is administering it. It was Christie’s consultants that handled the funding, yet it’s everyone else’s fault?

Delays have been caused by the consultants they hired and fired; environmental standards have been waived and proper permitting has not been done; there has been a failure to do proper monitoring and oversight; and the Christie administration has shown overall incompetence on Sandy rebuilding.

It is typical for the governor to blame someone else when his administration is at fault. He keeps looking for excuses when so many people are still suffering.

New Jersey has failed to have proper oversight and monitoring of recovery efforts. The governor vetoed the Sandy Transparency Act, which would have required more oversight of Sandy funding.

He had no problem running around cutting ribbons on boardwalks, going on David Letterman’s show, or doing ads on the Shore, but what about making sure people got their grant money?

Harry Truman said “the buck stops here.” Under Gov. Christie, the only thing that stops is the traffic on the George Washington Bridge.

Jeff Tittel

Director, New Jersey Sierra Club

Community & Political Leaders to Discuss Impact of Climate Change and Extreme Weather on NJ

Event will highlight role of climate change in exacerbating damaging weather events

HOBOKEN, NJ – Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 23, state and local leaders will gather for a press conference at 11:30 a.m. at the Hoboken PATH Station to highlight the impacts of extreme weather and climate change in Hoboken and throughout the state of New Jersey.

Assemblyman Ruben Ramos (NJ-33); Hoboken Councilman Tim Occhipinti and Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club will offer remarks at the press conference, which follows President Obama’s historic action on climate change. The President’s plan includes the nation’s first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants, as well as other strategies to prepare America for the effects of climate change.

In October 2012, New Jersey was devastated by deadly Superstorm Sandy – the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Just last week, New Jersey suffered from a horrendous heat wave, the latest in a series of extreme weather events in recent years that have included massive snowstorms, droughts, nor’easters and even a tornado. As a result of these and other recent events, 14 New Jersey counties have received natural disaster designations in recent years.

 Climate Change and Extreme Weather Press Conference
Tuesday, July 23, 2013 11:30 a.m.
Hoboken PATH Station, 1 Hudson Place, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Sierra Club Director Tittel to Lecture January 23 at Brookdale

Lincroft, NJ – Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club will discuss the systematic political assault on both the state and nation’s environmental rules and regulations by radical conservative politicians at the January 23 combined general membership meetings of the Jersey Shore (Monmouth) Group of Sierra and the NJ Friends of Clearwater at the Brookdale Community College Lincroft main campus, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. It will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Warner Student Life Center, lower level, Twin Lights rooms. Community is encouraged to attend the free event sponsored by Brookdale’s Environmental Field Station at Sandy Hook. Light refreshments will be available beginning at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting to start at 6:30 p.m.

A life-long Jerseyan, Tittel worked in political consulting prior to consulting for environmental activism. He now spends much of his time working behind the scenes battling businesses, developers, bureaucrats and politicians.

According to Tittel, since the radical conservatives captured the U.S. House of Representatives, there have been about 190 votes against environmental regulations on the House Floor with about 85 targeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - and more expected.

Tittle is critical of Governor Chris Christie in his opposition to many environmental bills. Christi’s environmental commissioner has insisted that any evaluation of new regulations must be balanced by their impact on economic growth.

Tittel will explain how pro-development opponents to environmental controls falsely blame the controls for the nation’s economic stagnation. He will conclude with the possible positive directions that can be taken to protect the environment.
Groups are welcome. Please advise to request any special needs seating. More information is available by calling 732-857-5305.