Etheridge criticizes lack of Katrina planning

A day before President Bush was to go to New Orleans, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge was there visiting a makeshift hospital in an empty department store and bemoaning the federal planning for Hurricane Katrina.

"They did no planning, no getting ready for the storm," said Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat and member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Etheridge is touring the Gulf Coast this week with a group of House Democrats. He said in a telephone interview Monday that although he's amazed at some of the progress, he's shocked at the lack of it elsewhere.

The group toured St. Bernard Parish, a blue-collar neighborhood near the city that was obliterated by water when Katrina hit. They went through empty neighborhoods in the suburbs. And they visited the makeshift hospital, which can provide minimal emergency care but little else, Etheridge said.

He said the federal government needs to do more to get money through the pipeline to residents.

At the same time, a report issued Monday by the Democrats on the homeland security committee found wasteful spending in the wake of Katrina.

The report, requested by Etheridge, blames the Federal Emergency Management Agency for using no-bid contracts, for overpayments on temporary classrooms and for shoddy planning on acquiring temporary trailers and moving ice into disaster areas.

The report says FEMA had only a third of its day-to-day staff on board when Katrina struck, and the shortfall of staff and lack of surge capacity led to a "significant waste" of tax dollars.

The report says Katrina rebuilding contracts have cost $7 billion, "most of which was wasted."

Etheridge last visited the Gulf region in March. This visit comes as the hurricane season's fifth named storm, Ernesto, is headed for Florida and has long-term designs on the North Carolina coast.

North Carolina, Etheridge said, can learn from Hurricane Katrina.

"You have to have things pre-positioned to be ready," he said. That includes signing contracts with private companies for ice, generators and roofing work that might be needed.

New law boosts oversight

Among the four final bills from this legislative session that Gov. Mike Easley signed into law over the weekend is one that tightens oversight of the state's seven regional economic development partnerships. Two of them -- the Kinston-based Eastern Region partnership and the Edenton-based North Carolina's Northeast Partnership -- were the subjects of state audits that showed several examples of questionable spending.

The law requires the partnerships to produce annual financial reports that show, among other things, itemized expenditures of state funds. The partnerships would have to adopt uniform standards for accounting, personnel, purchasing and contracts as they relate to state funds, and partnership board members would be required to receive training on conflicts of interest, financial disclosure and ethics.

Duke Energy exemption

In the months before Duke Energy sought a special exemption from state air rules earlier this year, the utility gave about $59,000 in political contributions to state legislators.

Duke Energy's political action committee collectively gave to 23 senators and 31 House members, based on a tally of 2006 campaign reports.

By comparison, Duke contributed about $35,000 during the same period in 2004.

"Clearly, Duke is a large corporate citizen and our employees may wish to have their voice heard," said Paige Sheehan, a spokeswoman for Duke Energy.

The special exemption, which passed both chambers by wide margins, will allow the utility to make a pollution swap that would not otherwise be allowed under state environmental rules.

Duke Energy will get credit for reductions in air pollution gained by a scrubber it plans to install at its Cliffside power plant, located in Rutherford County. The credit will offset new emissions from two proposed coal-burning units at Cliffside.

Sheehan said the difference in political giving in the first halves of 2004 and 2006 had to do with how the election cycles fell. She said Duke had contributed about $110,000 overall to legislative candidates in each primary cycle.

"We work on lots of legislative issues throughout the year," Sheehan said. "Our contributions are not tied to any particular piece of legislation."

Duke officials predict that emissions of sulfur dioxide from the Cliffside power plant will drop in 2011 by more than 20,000 tons a year. Without the exemption, Duke might have to cut emissions even further.