According to the Boston Herald, Romney had authority to inspect the Big Dig all along, and simply chose not to:
Gov. Mitt Romney, while angrily decrying Big Dig mismanagement, long ago washed his hands of the project’s oversight, despite a federal agreement that gave his administration the power to annually ensure the tunnels were properly maintained, documents show. …
Federal records obtained by the Herald show that Big Dig bosses, working in coordination with Romney’s MassHighway Department, have been required yearly to verify proper maintenance of the Interstate 90 Seaport connector where a collapse killed a woman.
Direct oversight over the project was transferred from MassHighway to the Turnpike Authority in 1997, although legislation authorizing the move required MassHighway officials to certify the safety of Big Dig tunnels before they were opened to the public, documents show.
However, instead of using that oversight power, MassHighway, under former acting Gov. Jane M. Swift and later Romney, relinquished oversight to the Pike’s Big Dig project director, Michael Lewis, who signed off for MassHighway on the 2003 opening of the I-90 Seaport connector that later collapsed.
There is enough blame to go around for this monstrosity of urban planning, beginning with former House Speaker Tip O’Neill and including virtually every Bay State politician since. And that includes the resplendent present Governor.
The question remains whether or not that sentiment will stick to the would-be Republican presidential candidate. If it ultimately pans out that he is in any way culpable, even indirectly, his path to the White House could become a tougher road to travel than he might have hoped.
Today’s BostonChannel.com reports on the lawsuit filed by the "Big Dig" victim’s family and includes this statement by the deceased woman’s daughter:
"I think there is not just one person that there is to blame for this. I think what happened had happened a long time ago. People did not do their job properly — people, construction companies, engineers, everyone that had something to do with the tunnel."
Will it be found that the list includes Mitt Romney? Stay tuned…
Previous post on Environmental "Mitt" here.
