Jersey Journal



Editorial



March 10, 2009





BPU chief's hold on job: Pathetic

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

N ew Jersey lawmakers continue to send the same message to their constituents: We care about politics as usual, and not you.



Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a second six-year term for Jeanne Fox as president of the state Board of Public Utilities. She won support from a majority of Democrats in a partisan vote.



There have been complaints of cronyism and poor financial management of the agency during Fox's first term. The center of controversy was a bank account used for part of the $480 million Clean Energy Program that was authorized in 1999 to encourage renewable energy development.



Instead of placing the account with the state Treasury, the BPU placed ratepayer money for the program into the Wachovia bank. Fox's explanation was that she feared the governor or state Treasury would take the funds out of the Treasury account for other uses. She said the Attorney General's Office helped negotiate the Wachovia deal, but state auditors reported that the account was in violation of state procedures.



The Star-Ledger reported that Fox's nomination is wrapped in layers of politics. Her husband, Steve DeMicco, is a top Democratic strategist who managed Corzine's 2005 gubernatorial campaign. His firm is now managing the re-election of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.



Her backers point out that Fox has pushed renewable energy development and financial support for low-income residents struggling to pay utility bills. They say many complaints against her are misleading.



In this newspaper's opinion, what is not misleading is that under Fox's leadership the BPU has been a rubber-stamp machine when it comes to utility rate increases.



New Jersey has the eighth-highest electric rates in the country. The average residential price was 15.55 cents per kilowatt hour last November, triple the cost when Fox took office. Retaining her in the influential post on the BPU could mean darker homes in the future.



The Jersey Journal

Editorial

Tuesday,March 10, 2009

I wonder where L.I. LIPA ranks on a list of the nations highest......bet it's in the top 5.

Last I heard we were #2 behind california