At last, something stuck to "Teflon" Ed Rendell.
One day after "Survivor Pennsylvania" played itself out on a desolate stretch of Interstate 78, the governor held a press conference Friday to announce he will take full responsibility for the Valentine's Day disaster that stranded hundreds of motorists on a 50-mile stretch of what should be renamed the "Road to Nowhere."
Rendell's public apology came a day late, but at least the governor admitted what everyone else already figured out — Pennsylvania's transportation and emergency response crews screwed up big time, leaving hundreds of unsuspecting motorists deserted on an impassable highway without food, water or heat for an entire day.
As the governor who takes credit for everything good that happens in the state, Rendell had to accept the blame for the monumental failure of so many state agencies.
"It is not a good day for state government," Rendell said. "As the chief executive of the Commonwealth, I take full responsibility for what appears to be a complete breakdown of communications and personally apologize to anyone who was stranded."
A few years back I gave Rendell the title of "worst governor in the United States." He's still holding on to that title but I have to (grudgingly) applaud the governor for finally stepping up to the plate.
"The people who managed the efforts work for me, and this was an inadequate and unacceptable response," Rendell said. "I am responsible for this."
That's a whole lot more than Gov. Katheen Blanco was willing to say after Hurricane Katrina ravaged her home state of Louisiana.
In addition to saying he's sorry, Rendell has promised an independent investigation of the "Nightmare on I-78."
Rendell said he contracted James Lee Witt, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to perform an independent review of the state's response to the highway mess. That's in addition to the investigation planned by the Governor's Office of Administration.
The governor admitted there was a "communications breakdown" among his office and various state agencies when stranded motorists began calling for help around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Many of the people calling for help were left high and dry on Interstate 78 into the afternoon and evening hours Thursday.
As the magnitude of the crisis became clear Thursday, Rendell mobilized the Pennsylvania National Guard to rush food, blankets, water and gasoline to stranded motorists they were able to reach. But for hundreds of truckers and motorists, the state’s rescue effort was too little, too late.
Rendell noted in his press conference that emergency management officials responded well to past weather disasters, including the massive flooding last spring.
"The same people who performed brilliantly in response to recent flooding in northeastern Pennsylvania had significant mistakes in judgment during this storm," Rendell said. "There are no excuses, though. I intend to find out what went wrong and ensure that this never happens again."
I'm not buying the "never happens again" part. Rendell has made too many promises in the past four years that he hasn't kept. And this was not the "Storm of the Century." PennDOT should have been able to handle few inches of snow and ice in the middle of winter.
It's up to the independent investigators and the Pennsylvania General Assembly to hold Rendell accountable for the fiasco.
Four lawmakers whose districts include parts of Interstate 78 sent a letter Friday to Allen Biehler, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and Col. Jeffrey Miller, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. These two agencies appear to have dropped the ball regarding the Valentine's Day storm and the response.
The letter from Rep. Douglas Reichley, R-134th Dist., Rep. David Argall, R-124th Dist., Rep. Paul Clymer, R-145th Dist., and Rep. Carl Mantz, R-187th Dist., makes it clear that lawmakers will demand answers during upcoming Appropriations Committee hearings when PennDOT and the State Police will come looking for more money.
"The approaching storm was predicted days ahead of time, but was there enough advance planning, or was there a breakdown in communication?" the letter states. "And why did this dangerous situation persist so long? Were state police or PennDOT personnel unnecessarily diverted to areas of the Commonwealth less catastrophically affected by the storm, such as Philadelphia? Are enough maintenance sheds and state police barracks located on these stretches of largely rural interstates? Were too many police and maintenance workers allocated to other areas of the state?"
Plenty of legitimate questions that demand answers from Rendell and his political appointees.
And this just in ...
Three Pennsylvania Congressmen have promised to examine the state's response to the Valentine's Day storm.
Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-6th Dist., Tim Holden, D-17th Dist., and Charlie Dent, R-15th Dist., all members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Friday evening they will take a look at the response to the Valentine's Day winter storm that shut down stretches of Interstate 78.
The three congressmen will convene a meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Upper Macungie Township Building in Lehigh County.
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