| POLICY: | PRACTICE: |
|---|---|
| 1. ARRA (Recovery Act) projects are to be "shovel-ready" | 1. Over one year later, FASTC not even near completing environmental, other reviews |
| 2. ARRA is to be implemented with “transparency” | 2. FOIA requests on FASTC denied in toto; identity of decision-makers on FASTC withheld from public |
| 3. ARRA will “assist those most impacted by the recession” | 3. FASTC sited in area with unemployment far below national average |
| 4. There weren’t any “earmarks” in the Recovery Act | 4. FASTC sited in State of Senator who inserted funding, in district of vulnerable freshman Congressman |
| 5. “We have made historic strides to cut wasteful spending.” | 5. One-half billion dollar price tag for FASTC when existing facilities could be used |
| 6. Federal facilities to be sited to avoid development of sensitive areas | 6. FASTC sited on prime farmland next to State Park in Chesapeake Bay watershed |
| 7. Environmentally preferable alternatives must be considered | 7. Alternatives to FASTC at Ruthsburg kept secret by GSA, not assessed |
| 8. Change from bottom up, not top down | 8. FASTC at Ruthsburg imposed top-down on unwilling community |
| 9. “The question we ask today is not whether government is too big or too small, but whether it works." | 9. DOS doesn’t work with DOD or other agencies to achieve efficient siting of federal security training |
| 10. “Commitment to openness . . . public officials need to draw on what citizens know.” | 10. GSA hides initial site consideration from neighboring property owners, stonewalls conservation groups |
NOTES:
1. “As President Obama urges Congress to pass the $800 billion-plus stimulus package, one of his favorite selling points is the thousands of projects nationwide that he calls ‘shovel ready’ — meaning planning is complete, approvals are secured and people could be put to work right away once funding is in place.” NPR, Feb. 9, 2009 (“Stimulus Bill Gives ‘Shovel-Ready’ Projects Priority”, by Brian Naylor)
2. “ ‘After more than a year implementing the Recovery Act, I can proudly say that we’re not only creating jobs across the country, but doing so responsibly and with a level of transparency never before seen in this town,’ Vice President Biden said.” White House, Office of the Vice President, April 6, 2010.
3. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, SEC. 3. PURPOSES AND PRINCIPLES. (a) STATEMENT OF PURPOSES.— “The purposes of this Act include the following: (1) To preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery. (2) To assist those most impacted by the recession. . . .”
4. “With respect to earmarks, we didn’t have earmarks in the Recovery Act. We didn’t get a lot of credit for it, but there were no earmarks in that.” White House, Office of the Press Secretary,
Remarks by the President at GOP House Issues Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, January 29, 2010.
5. “Already, we have made historic strides to . . . cut wasteful spending . . . .” The Budget Message of the President, White House, February 1, 2010.
6. “Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Department of Transportation . . . in coordination with the General Services Administration . . . and other agencies as appropriate, shall: (a) review existing policies and practices associated with site selection for Federal facilities; and (b) provide recommendations to the CEQ Chair regarding sustainable location strategies . . . . consistent with principles of sustainable development including . . . adaptive reuse or renovation of buildings, [and] avoidance of development of sensitive land resources . . . .” White House, Office of the Press Secretary, October 5, 2009, Executive Order, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, Section 10.
7. “EPA believes that the [FASTC] project [at Ruthsburg] may adversely affect the aquatic and terrestrial environment, including wetlands and, potentially, endangered species. . . . [W]e suggest that GSA demonstrate that other properties were identified through an adequate investigation and found impracticable or to have potentially more significant environmental impact.” Letter to GSA from Jeffrey D. Lapp, Associate Director, Office of Environmental Programs, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region III, March 12, 2010.
8. “[C]hange in this country comes not from the top down, but from the bottom up — let me reaffirm that conviction: This moment is possible because of you.” The White House Blog, This is What Change Looks Like, Remarks by President Obama following House passage of Health Care Reform, March 22, 2010, at 12:04 AM EDT
9. “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works . . . .” Inaugural Address of President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009
10. ”Our commitment to openness means more than simply informing the American people about how decisions are made. It means recognizing that government does not have all the answers, and that public officials need to draw on what citizens know.” Statement by President Obama welcoming senior staff and Cabinet secretaries to the White House, January 21, 2009.