Two Years After Sandy, New Jersey Still Recovering

For Immediate Release

Two Years After Sandy, New Jersey Still
Recovering

Today the Sierra Club released report cards grading the actions of government bodies in the year after Superstorm Sandy. As we mark its two year anniversary, it is important to assess what worked, what didn't, and what changes need to be made. The report cards measure what different government agencies and leaders have done so we can determine next steps in the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

The grades highlight some successes but overall demonstrate we are not where New Jersey should be in recovery efforts. As we rebuild we need to do things smarter and better but unfortunately in many ways we are repeating the mistakes of the past.

"Two years after Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey's recovery is lagging. Too many people and businesses are still impacted by the storm. Sandy recovery money has been slow in getting out. What is worst is that we are not preparing for the next storm. New Jersey is not addressing climate change or sea level rise as part of rebuilding efforts. The state is still not working to reduce greenhouse gases or make buildings more energy efficient," said Jeff Tittel, director, NJ Sierra Club.

The report card graded key government leaders and agencies on leadership, responsiveness, policy & planning, actions, and outcomes as follows:

The Governor showed strong leadership during the storm and in the aftermath, being there for the people of New Jersey and being an important advocate for securing funding for recovery. However, that leadership has slowed and has actually disappeared while there are still numerous problems along our coast. They also noted there have been problems from the beginning including lack of transparency and accountability, the failure to do any planning or adopt energy efficient building codes, and the rolling back of environmental standards and oversight. Representatives from the Office of Recovery and Rebuilding have refused to testify before the Legislature and have not held open public meetings. The Governor has refused to take action on climate change; instead he pulled New Jersey from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, downplayed the significance of climate change science on New Jersey, and diverted over $1 billion from clean energy funding.

"Outside of showing up for some ribbon cuttings and town meetings, the Governor seems more focused on Iowa and New Hampshire than rebuilding our shore. His denial of climate change and the failure of New Jersey to do anything about it jeopardizes our coast for future generations. You will never be stronger than the storm if you don't deal with sea level rise and climate change," said Jeff Tittel.

The DEP and DCA were ranked separately from the Governor because as agencies they have different responsibilities based on laws and their regulations. The groups based DCA's rating on their failure to update building codes even though this is required by HUD. The report card also reflected that victims seeking help have been frustrated with the consultant brought in by DCA to oversee rebuilding efforts. Instead of expediting funding to families they have not been at all responsive or timely.

"Instead of fixing the loopholes in the CAFRA rules to help protect the environment and people, the rules have even more loopholes and have actually weakened protections, putting more people and property in harm's way," said Jeff Tittel.

The report card found DEP has failed to do its job under the Coastal Zone Management Act to adequately protect our coast, do any adaptation or mitigation planning for sea level rise, or fix problems in CAFRA or other regulatory programs. Instead the agency has weakened environmental rules and permitting and oversight. Not having adequately trained staff or enough staff has delayed cleanup efforts, according to the report cards findings.

The Legislature has held numerous hearings on Sandy recovery efforts, especially the Senate and Assembly Environment Committees, and has supported efforts to deal with climate change. However the report card found the Legislature has failed to pass any major legislation dealing with planning, mitigation and adaptation, or fixing existing regulatory problems. Instead the Legislature has passed bills that put more people in harm's way. A bill that would have allowed for development on piers in high hazard areas was vetoed by the Governor and the Economic Opportunity Act that will allow development in sensitive areas. The Legislature did pass a bill requiring more transparency in recovery efforts but it was vetoed by the Governor.

"The Legislature has failed to come up with a legislative agenda to rebuild New Jersey in a more resilient way after the devastation from Hurricane Sandy. They have only been able to pass a couple of bills around transparency and the rights of victims and these were vetoed by the Governor. They have not even attempted to pass any meaning bills to promote regional planning or rebuilding the coast smarter and better," said Jeff Tittel.

The President has lead on climate change and efforts in rebuilding. HUD issued a Taskforce Report that requires state and federal agencies to work on climate change and sea level adaptation and to restore natural systems. The coalition is concerned if HUD's recommendations will be implemented by state and federal agencies.

The report card highlights problems with FEMA. According to the report, FEMA has made the disaster worse with delays in funding, denying funding requests, and sending people to the wrong programs. The coalition noted FEMA has not incorporated future sea level rise into their mapping and fell to political pressure to remove areas from the V zone that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. They also found between high rates and denying people coverage there has been major problems with the flood insurance program.

"The only way we have been able to make progress is when the EPA or other federal requirements are actually enforced. For instance, EPA requirements on funding for water and sewer plants which require resiliency as a condition of funding is actually working and there is progress being made," said Jeff Tittel. "However areas like green building and restoring natural systems where the federal agencies are not enforcing their requirements, the state is not doing its job."

The Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) is spending money on sea walls and beach replenishment without dunes and are not providing funding for the restoration of natural resources and wetlands. This resulted in negative marks for the agency in the report card.

Even though there have been a lot of problems there is still time to make appropriate changes that will help in recovery and rebuilding efforts to make our state more resilient and sustainable and help protect against future storms.

"Leadership is more than showing up when the cameras are there, it is getting the work done on a daily basis to make sure people get back in their homes and we rebuild the shore in a more resilient way. Government action has been slow while insurance companies have been terrible. There has been a lack of transparency. Action is not more public hearings, it is passing legislation to fix many of our problems. Putting together a good plan is meaningless unless it gets implemented. What has happened along the coast has been a disappointment and we are running out of time to make changes to have a coast for future generations," concluded Jeff Tittel.