newjerseynewsroom.com

UPDATED

The state Election Law Enforcement Commission report made public Tuesday shows that "pay to pave is alive and well in New Jersey,'' the director of the New Jersey Sierra Club charged Tuesday.

Jeff Tittle, the director, said the so-called "pay to pave'' campaign contributions are made by companies with development interests in New Jersey.

"Out of the top eight firms that gave the most in 2009, six are engineering firms,'' he said. "These firms helped push through the LSP bill, which privatized toxic site cleanup in New Jersey, transferring oversight of toxic cleanups from the Department of Environmental Protection to private engineering firms.'' Environmentalists opposed the legislation.

Tittle said two of highest contributing engineering firms include were T&M Associates, which gave $534,000 and CME, which gave $499,000.

Tittle said companies with state contracts who are the largest contributors include George Harms Construction Co., which has more than a dozen contracts from the state Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, gave more than $140,000. He said Creamer-Sanzari Joint Venture, which received the contract to build a train line through a Superfund site to the Xanadu Mall in the Meadowlands that never opened, gave more than $86,000. He said Tilcon, the biggest quarry paving operation in the state, gave $6,000.

"The report also revealed that Parsons Commercial Technology Group, which has a contract to run New Jersey's vehicle inspection stations, gave more than $286,000,'' Tittle said. "Last year, the state renewed its contract even though Parsons has been fraught with problems and was a symbol of consultant mismanagement. New Jersey's own report revealed that Parsons' enhanced inspection system did not really protect the environment as it was supposed to.

"In New Jersey, campaign contributions not only get you access but also seem to get you results," Tittel said. "The only thing green about New Jersey politics is the money that comes from developers and contractors."

– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

CORRECTED: Tilcon's $6,000 contribution was corrected from $160,000