The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission held a press conference today to clarify the details of the selection process the agency took in 1999, when it chose EnCap Golf to clean orphaned landfills in the Meadowlands.

The meeting was in response to the inspector general’s report on the EnCap project, which said EnCap deceived the NJMC during the selection process. NJMC executive director Robert Ceberio defended the NJMC’s diligence in checking up on EnCap’s qualifications.

"I feel like the agency is being attacked in some quarters," said Ceberio.

A major selling point for EnCap was the firm’s work on a landfill in Texas. However, the inspector general’s report revealed that EnCap never closed the landfill in Texas, but merely shaped the landfill into a golf course. However, the NJMC selected EnCap as a team, not solely because EnCap president Bill Gauger claimed to have cleaned the Texas landfill.

"We didn’t select it because Gauger ever closed or opened a landfill before," said Ceberio. "It’s not Bill Gauger closing the landfill, it’s the team that was selected."

Nonetheless, the NJMC was duped into believing EnCap closed the Texas landfill. Ceberio said he visited the site in 2000 with other top NJMC officials and spoke to city officials in Houston, TX who vouched for EnCap’s ability. Still, Ceberio said he regrettably never asked to see engineering or construction documents relating to the project.

Ceberio also commented on statements in the inspector general’s report stating the NJMC was duped into believing EnCap had the financial wherewithal to complete the project. According to the report, EnCap claimed billionaire Lou Gonda would have a 17.5 percent stake in the project. However, the report revelealed he would only have a 17.5 percent stake in the project's profits.

Despite characterizations in the report, Ceberio said Gonda was not the sole reason for EnCap’s selection. The NJMC was not alone in believing that EnCap had the financial ability to complete the project, said Ceberio. If the NJMC were duped, then the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and several private lending institutions were also duped.