At today’s Congressional hearing, Congressman Jeff Denham accused the FRA of failing to provided promised invoices from the project. He asked what they could be hiding.
One invoice they may not want to share is a payment to former DOT official Roy Kienitz.
Remember this guy?
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/05/25/2402531/feds-unlikely-to-budge-on-valley.html
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/26/local/la-me-high-speed-rail-20110526
CARRD received invoices through a Public Records Act request verifying that he is working now as a consultant on the CHSRA project.
May 2011 Roy Kienitz, Undersecretary of Transportation : You must use the money in the Central Valley and we (DOT) have no authority to change the 2012 construction start deadline
Nov 28, 2011 Roy Kienitz leaves the Federal government
Dec 1, 2011 Roy Kienitz is hired by Parsons Brinckerhoff as a consultant
November 4, 2012 Bills for work on CHSRA project for “federal strategy”
December 5, 2012 The FRA and the CHSRA amend the ARRA funding contract to allow ARRA money to be spent first and extend out deadlines
Jan 31, 2013 As an independent consultant under contract with Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB) I offer my
continued commitment to the California High Speed Rail Authority for the on-going
development of the High Speed Rail Project. I will endeavor to perform whatever work is
assigned to me in the most timely and economical manner possible.”
On the subject of revolving doors, John Porcari, the author of the other letter to California affirming what CHSRA officials wanted to hear, left his post last month – also to go work for Parsons Brinckerhoff.
The CHSRA is one of PB’s largest, if not largest, projects and an important source of revenue for parent company Balfour Beatty. Without additional restrictions on the constant revolving door in transportation, how can the public have confidence that decisions by public officials are made in the public’s interest and not with an eye to future employment in the private sector?
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