Gore visit provokes heated press release battle

He was never known as a blowtorch orator, and nearly two weeks ago the remarks by Al Gore at a global warming bill signing ceremony left even ardent supporters of the former vice president's yearning for some fiery feeling.   What they didn't forecast was the heat generated in the wake of Gore's visit, as two sides were roused out of their corners today in part because of Gore's indisputably national presence, however arguably lackluster.   The director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club lambasted Mayor James Cassella of East Rutherford for making what he called an inaccurate statement about the organization's stand on the Xanadu - or Continental Airlines Arena redevelopment project.   In a press release posted on PoliticsNJ.com, Cassella asserted that the Sierra Club was hypocritical for attending the global warming bill signing with Gov. Jon Corzine and Gore, near the site of a 6-million square-foot mega-mall on state-owned property in the meadowlands. The so-called Xanadu development project, where construction is already underway, falls within the boundaries of Cassella's town.   "Just a few yards from where Gov. Corzine, Al Gore and Sierra Club (Director) Jeff Tittel were holding their photo-op and proclaiming their concern for the global environment is the site of two of the biggest, energy wasting projects in the state," said Cassella, of Xanadu and a new Jets-Giants Stadium. "Both of these projects could have been built to exacting 'green' specifications that would reduce the use of energy and the production of greenhouse gases. But they were not."    Tittel bristled at the remarks, and quickly fired off a counter-punch press release, claiming Cassella was dead wrong to imply that the Sierra Club ever stood aside to make way for Xanadu or the new stadium.   "We're in federal court against Xanadu," said Tittel, agreeing with Cassella's criticisms of the project, including what the director said was Xanadu's failure to follow green building standards and provide mass transit alternatives to a projected 100,000 cars visiting the massive complex on a daily basis. Furthermore, "The state violated the National Environmental Policy Act," Tittel aserted. "it did not do the proper environmental analysis."   Tittel said as far back as 2001, the Sierra Club formally denounced Xanadu as "the worst sprawl project in North Jersey," and argued that one environmental impact statement - not two - should have been completed for both Xanadu and the stadium.   But Casssella didn't appreciate the Sierra Club director giving Corzine the old backslap at the global warming bill signing, and said as much in his release today.   "It is ironic that New Jersey - the most overcrowded, overdeveloped state in the nation, has become the darling of Al Gore's global warming warriors because Gov. Jon Corzine is championing purely symbolic but meaningless legislation. The hypocrisy between what the state does and what it wants others to do is worth noting."   "Mayor Cassellla," Tittel replied, "unfortunately your press release contributes to global warming because it's full of hot air."