(New York, NY) – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Administrator Adolfo Carrion today formally presided over the kickoff event for the New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities initiative, an unprecedented bi-state collaboration that is the recipient of a $3.5 million HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative Grant. He was joined by representatives from five New York and four Connecticut cities, the Nassau County and Suffolk County Executives, the New York City Planning Commissioner, and the heads of six regional planning organizations, who collectively comprise the consortium.

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, faced for the first time with a media that does not uncritically regurgitate his pronouncements, is striking back with his Share the News initiative designed to combat "misinformation" (by which he means fact-based arguments against his policies). His pretext for the Share the News campaign is that Republicans on City Council have asked irresponsible questions about the GreeNR program like "Why does New Rochelle need to be a member of ICLEI?" and "How much does it cost to be a member of ICLEI?". Pretty soon these same rabble-rousers will be asking "How much does New Rochelle spend each on ICLEI software, analysis, research, consulting and ICLEI-mandate consultants like Deborah Newborn?" No wonder the Mayor is contending that such questions amount to promulgating black helicopter conspiracy theories.

To put the Mayor's mind at ease, let's go back to 2008 when the City of New Rochelle put announced an RFP for a "Sustainability Coordinator" consultant, to be paid $40,000 a year for working 20 hours a week.

Councilman Lou Trangucci knows his constituents will question the $1200 dues to ICLEI (International Council Local Environmental Initiatives) for the GreeNR plan. He is concerned because he said this expenditure was never presented to the Council before they voted. Another Councilman, Richard St. Paul, expressed displeasure that the City Council is being asked to approve a GreeNR plan where amendments made by Council are listed separately from the original document.

Every Toyota Prius requires more than 70lbs of rare earth metals to build. All hybrid and electric cars require the same or more rare earth metals. Many years ago America supplied approximately 98% of the rare earth metals, today China supplies 98% of the worlds rare earth metals. The problem with rare earth metals is not that they are rare but that they require enormous amounts of strip mining which destroys forests and poisons the land.
China recently threatened Japan with cutting off their supply of these rare earth metals. If the United States is tricked into the belief that hybrid cars are better for the planet because they use less fuel we will be headed for an environmental disaster much more damaging than the burning of fossile fuels.