environmentVariables fails with useSystemClassLoader=false or forkMode=always

I can't upgrade from surefire 2.6 because environmentVariables does not get properly populuated from 2.7 when using useSystemClassLoader=false or forkMode=always .
In 2.6 my tests pass. From 2.7 if I only run the the test that requires the PATH to be set and have forkMode=once,
the test passes, but if run all the tests or set forkMode=always then it breaks.

<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
<!-<version>2.6</version>->
<!-<version>2.7</version>->
<version>2.9</version>
<configuration>
<useSystemClassLoader>false</useSystemClassLoader>
<!--
<forkMode>never</forkMode>
<forkMode>once</forkMode>
<forkMode>always</forkMode>
-->
<environmentVariables>
<HOME>$

</HOME>
<PATH>$

</PATH>
</environmentVariables>
</configuration>
</plugin>

my tests work fine with 2.6:
useSystemClassLoader=false and forkMode=once or forkMode=always
mvn test -Dtest=TestTaskUtils
[INFO] — maven-surefire-plugin:2.6:test (default-test)
Tests run: 1, Failures: 0, Errors: 0, Skipped: 0
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESS

2.7:
useSystemClassLoader=false and forkMode=once
mvn test
Tests run: 92, Failures: 1, Errors: 1, Skipped: 0
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
mvn test -Dtest=TestTaskUtils
Tests run: 1, Failures: 0, Errors: 0, Skipped: 0
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESS

useSystemClassLoader=false and forkMode=always
mvn test -Dtest=TestTaskUtils
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-surefire-plugin:2.7:test (default-test) on project ebr-orchestration-engine: There are test failures.
[ERROR]
[ERROR] Please refer to /stf_fast/prj/e-breadboard/work/ebr-orchestration-engine/target/surefire-reports for the individual test results.
[ERROR] -> [Help 1]
org.apache.maven.lifecycle.LifecycleExecutionException: Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-surefire-plugin:2.7:test (default-test) on project ebr-orchestration-engine: There are test failures.
[ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please read the following articles:
[ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/MojoFailureException

(**/target/surefire-reports does not exist)

With 2.9 I get other strange behaviour:
useSystemClassLoader=false and forkMode=always
Forking command line: /bin/sh -c cd /stf_fast/prj/e-breadboard/work/ebr-orchestration-engine && /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun-1.6.0.26/jre/bin/java org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.ForkedBooter /stf_fast/prj/e-breadboard/work/ebr-orchestration-engine/target/surefire/surefire6100107079468387212tmp /stf_fast/prj/e-breadboard/work/ebr-orchestration-engine/target/surefire/surefire6665672219640431542tmp
org.apache.maven.surefire.util.SurefireReflectionException: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: za.co.enerweb.ebr.task.TestTaskUtils; nested exception is java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: za.co.enerweb.ebr.task.TestTaskUtils
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: za.co.enerweb.ebr.task.TestTaskUtils
at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(URLClassLoader.java:202)
at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:190)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:306)
at sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader.loadClass(Launcher.java:301)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:247)
at org.apache.maven.surefire.util.ReflectionUtils.loadClass(ReflectionUtils.java:203)
at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.PropertiesWrapper.getParamValue(PropertiesWrapper.java:132)
at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.PropertiesWrapper.getTypeDecoded(PropertiesWrapper.java:117)
at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.BooterDeserializer.deserialize(BooterDeserializer.java:63)
at org.apache.maven.surefire.booter.ForkedBooter.main(ForkedBooter.java:63)
Tests run: 0, Failures: 0, Errors: 0, Skipped: 0
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-surefire-plugin:2.9:test (default-test) on project ebr-orchestration-engine: No tests were executed! (Set -DfailIfNoTests=false to ignore this error.) -> [Help 1]
org.apache.maven.lifecycle.LifecycleExecutionException: Failed to execute goal org.apache.maven.plugins:maven-surefire-plugin:2.9:test (default-test) on project ebr-orchestration-engine: No tests were executed! (Set -DfailIfNoTests=false to ignore this error.)

Let me know if you need more info or need a sample app.