Series on UCIA Solar Panel Initiative

John Bury, who writes on NJ Voices on NJ.com.has begun a series on the Union County Improvement Authority's Renewable Energy Program.  He provides links to videos, including one where Linden's Mayor appeared on Hear and Now, a Cranford TV35 program, a glossy brochure which appears to be a vehicle to promote the freeholders rather than providing useful information, and a couple of charts.  See column here.  Below the column are various comments worth reading as well.

I am surprised at Mayor Gerbounka's assessment that Linden has a good working relationship with the UCIA,  There is nothing the UCIA does that couldn't be handled by Linden without the UCIA's so-called help and very likely, in a more efficient manner.  South Wood Avenue and St. George Avenue are two glaring examples of projects gone awry.  IMO, Linden has become an enabler to an agency that funnels outrageous amounts of taxpayer dollars to campaign donors of the UCDO in bloated fees.

Other towns, such as Summit and Cranford, are taking the prudent step of securing more information before joining the energy initiative. Maybe they too read Mary Jane Cooper's report on Encap when she wrote:

"EnCap and its attorney, the Teaneck-based DeCotiis firm, misled the state about key elements of the project."