 N.A.
OFFICIALS PRAISE ENCAP INVESTIGATION
North
Arlington - Mayor Peter Massa and Council President Steve
Tanelli said they welcomed today's news that there is
a joint federal and state investigation underway into
the EnCap project.
More
than two years ago, Massa - then a councilman, and Tanelli
wrote to U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie asking for
a federal investigation, saying they were deeply concerned
about possible wrongdoing in the advancement of the EnCap
Project.
At
the time they wrote: "There is strong indication
that the developer's agreement (between EnCap and North
Arlington) represents the worst of backroom political
negotiations - the kind of dealings your office has been
trying to eradicate."
They
noted that the federal government should pay special attention
to how the project was funded through the state Environmental
Infrastructure Trust and the Economic Development Agency.
Massa
opposed the EnCap agreement signed by his predecessor
and was particularly opposed the use of eminent domain
to condemn properties on Porete Avenue for the EnCap project.
Today,
Massa said he was happy to see his request finally being
honored. "It is a good sign for the people of my
community, for the entire meadowlands region and for the
state of new Jersey that federal and state law enforcement
agencies will be taking a hard look on the EnCap project
developed into the boondoggle that it has become."
Council
President Tanelli said that he hopes the federal authorities
"will spare no effort to uncover the backroom deals
that made EnCap into a monster."
"My
hope is that unlike the state Inspector General’s
Report on EnCap that the federal officials and the state
Attorney General’s office will be more specific
and get us closer to the truth regarding any possible
criminal activity. The fact is that EnCap has made
the lives of our resident hell, and someone has to pay
for that," said Tanelli.
"The
people responsible for this horrific endeavor, no mater
who they are and what titles they hold, must be accountable.
The State of New Jersey needs to make sure this kind of
self serving development project is never repeated,"
added Tanelli
Tanelli
and Councilman Al Granell, met with a representative of
the U.S. Attorney's office in late February after the
State Inspector General's report was released. Granell
said they met for nearly an hour and that the meeting
was productive.
"Clearly,
there was interest on the part of the U.S. Attorney's
office in what we had to say and I came away from the
meeting feeling that finally someone in law enforcement
was listening to us," said Granell.
"Frankly,
I hope that this investigation will lead to people being
indicted and brought to trial because I think that is
only way we are ever going to get to the truth,"
said Granell.
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