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Feds Turn Christie Administration Down On Waiver Of Sandy Relief Rules

IMG_3871 (640x427)The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has turned down a request from the Christie Administration that the rule requiring that reconstruction work on homes damaged by SuperStorm Sandy stop upon the homeowner applying for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation(RREM) aid, according to an Associated Press report posted on NJ.com and other outlets.

HUD rules require that the plans for all work on properties receiving RREM grants be evaluated and approved by the government.  Work done without the RREM approval is not eligible for reimbursement under the program, even if the work complies with all requirements.  This process has created a major logjam is funds being awarded and homes being rebuilt.

In an undated letter obtained late Tuesday by The Associated Press, HUD rejected the state’s request.

HUD says the rules, which have been the source of many complaints from homeowners struggling to rebuild after the October 2012 storm, are intended to make sure historically significant properties aren’t damaged or demolished, and that aid is not duplicated among the numerous Sandy reconstruction programs offered by federal and state governments.

Yolanda Chávez, HUD’s deputy assistant secretary for grant programs, wrote to New Jersey Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable listing other reasons why the rule can’t be dropped as well.

“If the construction does not meet elevation requirements and must be undone, resources will be spent with no benefit to the recovery,” she wrote.

If you’re going to Governor Christie’s Town Hall Meeting in Middletown tomorrow, expect to hear about this rule and others as the source of the delay in RREM funding, and as an explanation for why the multi-family projects outside of Sandy impacted areas, notably the Belleville and New Brunswick projects that have been in the news, have been approved while Jersey Shore residents are still waiting and not living at home.

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Posted: February 19th, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, RREM, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

7 Comments on “Feds Turn Christie Administration Down On Waiver Of Sandy Relief Rules”

  1. Another Obama Rebuke? | The Save Jersey Blog said at 3:10 pm on February 19th, 2014:

    […] By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com […]

  2. Odds are said at 3:16 pm on February 19th, 2014:

    The haters will still blame Governor Christie for this.

    JCG

  3. Monmouth Girl said at 3:51 pm on February 19th, 2014:

    Wait a minute – Steve Sweeney, Frank Pallone and Bob English already said its Chris Christie’s fault.

    I tell you there are no depth that our Governor will not sink to but how the heck did he manage to write and adopt Federal Regulations!?

  4. Bob English said at 5:36 pm on February 19th, 2014:

    @Monmouthgirl…I would like to see the Governor explain the things that he can control like the HGI disaster which botched the distribution of Sandy relief money.

  5. MoreMonmouthMusings » Blog Archive » Kyrillos Blasts HUD For Keeping Sandy Victims From Rebuidling said at 6:25 pm on February 19th, 2014:

    […] Senator Joe Kyrillos came out swinging this afternoon regarding the news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development denied the Christie Administration’s […]

  6. Maybe they checked said at 8:57 pm on February 19th, 2014:

    the pluralities GOP candidates received this past November- and have decided to punish a “Republican” county? .. Just a thought: when will we learn that Democrats know how to count much better, keep “score”all the time, and often return to those who give them their winning numbers first/only..when will we ever learn the only way to prevail, especially in Blue Jersey, is to NOT “work together with” them, smile at them, trust them? It is to simply BEAT them, or they get to make all the rules, hand out all the goodies, “take care” of their own first,and,history and practice continue to prove they sure do!

  7. MoreMonmouthMusings » Blog Archive » Chirp Chirp Chirp. Where are the GOP U.S. Senate Candidates? Congressional Candidates? said at 9:19 am on February 20th, 2014:

    […] news that HUD is preventing victims of Superstorm Sandy from rebuilding their homes is another layup that Republican candidates for federal office, challengers or incumbents, […]