EnviroPolitics Blog

Get your paddle on! 2026 Delaware River 31st Sojourn: June 20-26

WEST TRENTON, N.J. (May 22) – Paddlers of all ages and experience levels are reminded that it is not too late to register for the 31^st Delaware River Sojourn taking place June 20-26.

The Sojourn is a guided paddling and camping trip that combines on-water experiences and educational opportunities. Equipment is provided, and river guides teach basic instruction and keep paddlers safe on the water. Participants may sign up for the entire trip or for the day(s) of their choice.

“For over thirty years, the Delaware River Sojourn has been more than a paddling trip. It is a classroom and a community hub, promoting safe river recreation, conservation, and education about our natural environment, and local history,” said Kate Schmidt, Communications Specialist for the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) and Chair of the Delaware River Sojourn Steering Committee. “This year, the Sojourn is themed ‘Our Nation’s River,’ a nod to the integral role the Delaware River had in the founding of our nation, as well as its importance to communities today.”

The Sojourn allows participants to experience the river’s varied communities and characteristics as it flows downstream. This year’s itinerary includes three days in the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a day in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and two days paddling the Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River, including a chance to paddle the site of George Washington’s historic crossing. The trip will culminate with a paddle on the river’s tidewaters near northeast Philadelphia.

In total, over 75 miles of the Delaware River will be paddled, split into daily trips averaging 10 miles each. The all-volunteer National Canoe Safety Patrol provides critical on-water and on-land safety support.

“The Sojourn is a fantastic way to experience this iconic river and inspire more people to help protect our shared waters,” said Kristen Bowman Kavanagh, the DRBC’s Executive Director and a repeat sojourner. “DRBC proudly supports the Sojourn’s commitment to advancing stewardship and promoting the efforts of partners across the basin. We are excited to be a sponsor and lead several programs highlighting our work.”

This year’s enrichment programs celebrating “Our Nation’s River” include a presentation on the Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History, a visit to Washington Crossing Historic Park (Pa.), a preview of the new Visitor’s Center at Washington Crossing State Park (N.J.), a talk about William Penn and Pennsbury Manor, and a program on the 911 National Memorial Trail.

The Sojourn also highlights the connection between outdoor recreation and local businesses. From kayak rental and livery Northeast Wilderness Experience (Honesdale, Pa.), and bussing from We Transport (Sparrowbush, N.Y.), to catering provided by Konrad’s Kitchen, (Yulan, N.Y.), Humpty Junior’s (Columbia, N.J.), Colonial Farms (Washington Crossing, Pa.) and Cathedral Kitchen (Camden, N.J.), it takes partnership across industries to make the Sojourn successful.

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“The Delaware River Sojourn appreciates the support of its donors and grantors, which helps keep registration costs low and allows us to offer package pricing, making the event even more accessible,” said Dejay Branch, Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition and Sojourn fiduciary. “We encourage folks to register for this family-friendly event soon, as space is filling quickly.”

Along with the DRBC, Northampton County Parks, Recreation & Conservation and individual donors, the regional grocery cooperative ShopRite has sponsored the Sojourn since 2013. Grant funding comes from the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, the Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program and PPL.

First held in 1995, the Delaware River Sojourn is one of the longest-running programs of its kind. The nonprofit annual event is planned by a steering committee with representatives from federal, state, and county agencies, local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individual volunteers. Schmidt has served as the DRBC’s representative since 2006. Registration fees for the 2026 Delaware River Sojourn are $100 per day for adults and $70 per day for children. For full details and registration, visit https://delawareriversojourn.com/.

The DRBC is a federal-interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539-square-mile Delaware River Basin, regardless of political boundaries. The five Commission members are the governors of the Basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division, who represents the federal government. Learn more at www.drbc.gov.

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NextEra Energy wants to buy its way into Data Center Alley

The utility’s proposed merger with Dominion Energy would connect it with data center-rich Virginia. Consumer and clean energy advocates are wary.

By Kathryn Krawczyk, Canary Media

This week, Florida utility giant NextEra Energy — the country’s top renewable energy developer, and a major gas plant builder — announced plans to acquire Dominion Energy, which serves Virginia and the Carolinas. If the firms secure state and federal approvals, they’d become the world’s largest regulated utility and the third-biggest energy company in the U.S.

The colossal consolidation has a clear impetus: data centers. Dominion is tasked with delivering power to what’s known as “Data Center Alley,” but as former U.S. Energy Department leader Jigar Shah told E&E News, the utility has failed to adopt grid enhancements and other technologies that would help it do so. NextEra isn’t scooping up Dominion for that outdated grid; it’s “buying the keys to America’s data center capital,” Shah wrote on LinkedIn.

So what does it all mean for customers? The utilities are promising $2.25 billion in bill credits for Dominion ratepayers, more investments in power reliability, and large-load tariffs to ensure data center demand doesn’t raise residential power bills.

But environmental and consumer advocates are skeptical. NextEra subsidiary Florida Power & Light has a “deeply troubling track record” of alleged “election manipulation, surveillance of journalists, co-optation of civil rights organizations and the use of dark money networks to capture regulators and defeat energy competition,” says the nonprofit Clean Virginia. The Energy and Policy Institute notes that Florida Power & Light customers have faced years of rate increases even as the utility pulls in record profits, and highlights Dominion’s history of massive political spending.

Plus, while NextEra has led the way on building solar and battery storage — tech that can be brought online much more quickly than gas plants — both it and Dominion have gigawatts of polluting fossil-fueled development in the works.

All those concerns will likely come up as the deal seeks regulatory approvals.

NextEra has already been lobbying to get on the Trump administration’s good side, including via inauguration and ballroom contributions. The merger’s toughest scrutiny may instead come from states, which have blocked NextEra’s attempts at acquiring three other utilities over the past few years. With energy affordability concerns and opposition to data centers already rising to a fever pitch, regulators in Virginia and beyond may just keep NextEra stuck in the present day.

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Bills seek to help New Jersey farmers weather the spring freeze

From the NJ Senate Republicans

NJ State Senator Latham Tiver (R-Atlantic, Burlington) announced that he’ll be introducing legislation to help farmers mitigate the harm of agricultural emergencies after a deep Spring freeze devastated crops for New Jersey farmers and businesses.

The legislative bill package would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to declare an agricultural emergency and establish a six-month sales tax holiday on fertilizer to take effect during such emergencies (S-4353). Additionally, the legislation would direct the Department of Agriculture to identify available funding sources, including any federal, state, and private funding sources, to help affected farmers (S-4354).

“Our agricultural community took a major beating from April’s catastrophic deep freeze, damaging developing crops and putting farmers and agricultural businesses behind the eight ball,” said Senator Tiver. “Farmers represent the lifeblood of our State, and this package of legislation will help our Garden State growers mitigate damage during unprecedented weather events so they can continue producing the best Jersey Fresh products families across New Jersey rely on every day. When we stand for farmers, we stand with the very meaning of the Garden State.”

Read drafts of the bills online (S-4353) here and (S-4354) here.

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Opinion: Will New Jersey run out of water?

Pollution, overdevelopment, and years of government inaction are placing a growing strain on the state’s water supply

By Jeff Tittel, The Jersey Vindicator, May 17, 2026

New Jersey’s drought crisis is no longer simply about a lack of rain. It is about decades of political failure, weak environmental planning, overdevelopment, polluted waterways, and a state government that continues to ignore the growing threat to our water supply.

Today, the entire state is experiencing drought conditions, with nearly half under severe drought, and those conditions continue to expand. Reservoirs remain below normal, groundwater levels are depleted, and stream flows in many regions are 75% to 90% below normal. Yet despite these warning signs, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has failed to implement the aggressive conservation measures, planning reforms, and pollution controls needed to protect public health and the environment.

New Jersey has serious water problems and could become the first state on the East Coast to run out of water. This is because we face major issues with both water quality and quantity due to overdevelopment and a legacy of toxic pollution. The drought is exposing the reality that New Jersey’s water system is badly broken.

Read the full story here

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Office of Clean Energy Equity legislation advances in New Jersey

From the NJ Senate Democrats

TRENTON – In an effort to reduce the negative environmental impacts on historically overburdened communities and to lower energy costs for low-income households, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senators Troy Singleton and John McKeon.

“All New Jerseyans – regardless of their ZIP code or income – deserve to have access to clean energy, the career opportunities enabled by the transition to clean energy, as well as the health and environmental benefits that will follow,” said Senator Singleton (D-Burlington). “By establishing this Office in statute, and requiring that the most overburdened communities have access to the many benefits of clean energy, we will ensure that everyone can attain affordable clean energy.”

“Decades of systemic racism and inequity have forced many urban and vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of polluting energy infrastructure. The same communities disproportionately face the impacts of climate change and are often the least equipped to prepare for, respond to, and recover from its effects,” said Senator McKeon (D-Essex/Passaic). “As we work toward a clean energy future, we must prioritize righting these wrongs and ensure these families are not only protected, but also experience real improvements in their quality of life. The Office of Clean Energy Equity will provide a dedicated vehicle to deliver tangible change in historically overburdened neighborhoods.”

The bill, S1757, would establish the Office of Clean Energy Equity within the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), tasked with promoting and overseeing an equitable transition to clean energy. The Office would seek to ensure that clean energy programs and their benefits are targeted toward the communities most impacted by the placement of polluting facilities and thus forced to contend with the negative health impacts. The BPU would be required to direct no less than 10 percent of its annual total clean energy budget, or at least $50 million annually, whichever amount is greater, to the new Office to effectuate its goals.

The legislation would also set specific goals and requirements to direct clean energy investments to low-income households and overburdened communities. Specifically, the BPU would be required to establish onsite or community solar programs with the objective of benefitting 250,000 low-income households, or 35 percent of the state’s low-income households, whichever is larger, within 10 years of the Office of Clean Energy Equity’s establishment. This provision aims to reduce low-income households’ average energy costs to below 6% of household income. The BPU would also be required to establish at least 1,600 megawatt-hours of energy storage to benefit overburdened communities within 10 years of the Office of Clean Energy Equity’s establishment.

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PJM gets emergency approval to curtail data centers

Under the Department of Energy order, the PJM Interconnection can curtail power to data centers with backup generation as a last resort before instituting rolling blackouts.

By Ethan Howland, Senior Reporter, Utility Dive

The PJM Interconnection can curtail data centers and other large loads that have backup generation under an emergency order issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Energy.
PJM on Sunday asked to direct transmission owners and electric utilities in its Mid-Atlantic and Midwest footprint to curtail those facilities, if needed, for three days starting May 18 due to hot weather combined with planned power plant maintenance outages.
PJM said it expected to have less than 5,800 MW of reserves during its May 18 peak, and that Maryland and Virginia could be especially stressed by the unseasonably hot weather.

Read the full story here

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