Date : Thu, 30 May 2013 11:24:34 -0400
For Immediate Release
May 30, 2013
Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100
Port Authority Sandy Too Little Too Late
Today the Port Authority announced it would be spending $59 million to upgrade its facilities following Hurricane Sandy.Jeff Tittel, Director of the NJ Sierra Club, issued this statement in response:
"This is closing the barn door after the horse is already down the street. There has been enough mapping and studies to show how vulnerable Hudson County and lower Manhattan is to sea level rise. The MTA heeded those warnings and had very little damage. If we had done the same we would have saved taxpayers almost $450 and the PATH system would not have been out of work or partial service for months, hurting the local economy. They raised fares but they did not protect their own system.These are the consequences when you think climate change is esoteric and therefore you don't plan or prepare for these types of events, this is the outcome, costing taxpayers hundreds and millions of dollars and all the suffering the commuters faced. Good they are finally doing it but they should have done it ten years ago when the first risk assessments came out."
-- Kate Millsaps Conservation Program Coordinator NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club 609-656-7612