The Senate Environment and Energy Committee has posted an ambitious agenda
of nine bills for consideration on Thursday.

Topics of the legislation range from proposed changes to the state’s farmland assessment law and the use of flags to mark pesticide applications to loans for brownfield remediations and exemptions from the state’s Noise Control Act for beach bars.
You think Snooki will testify?

Forest harvesting and solar energy are the headliners

A bill to allow trees to be taken for logging in state forests under certain circumstances (S-1085) drew heavy opposition from environmental organizations in the last session.
It has been modified and will make its 2012 debut before the committee..

Legislation viewed by some as the last chance to save New Jersey’s formerly high-flying solar-energy industry from a disastrous year also will be put to a committee vote (S-1925).

Starting at 10 a.m. in Room 11 on the fourth floor of the State House Annex, the committee will consider:

A-2395 Coughlin, C.J. (D-19); Coutinho, A. (D-29); Benson, D.R. (D-14)
Changes priorities for financial assistance from Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund.
Related Bill: S-1246

S-589 Beck, J. (R-11); Sweeney, S.M. (D-3)
Revises certain provisions of farmland assessment law.

S-755 Scutari, N.P. (D-22)
Requires use of uniform silver flags to mark certain pesticide applications.

S-1085 Smith, B. (D-17); Norcross, D. (D-5)
Establishes forest harvest program on State-owned land.

S-1246 Vitale, J.F. (D-19)
Authorizes zero-interest loans to local governments for certain brownfield remediations; changes priorities for financial assistance from Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund.

S-1754 Whelan, J. (D-2)
Eliminates requirement that a beach bar must have been in existence prior to August 31, 2011 for purposes of qualifying for exemption from “Noise Control Act of 1971.”

S-1925 Smith, B. (D-17); Sweeney, S.M. (D-3)
Revises certain solar renewable energy programs and requirements; provides for aggregating net metering of Class I renewable energy production on certain contiguous and non-contiguous properties owned by local government units and school districts.

SCR-59 Buono, B. (D-18); Gordon, R.M. (D-38)
Determines that proposed DEP rules and regulations establishing procedure for waiver of DEP rules are inconsistent with legislative intent.

Up for discussion only (no vote) is:

S-368 Beach, J. (D-6); Singer, R.W. (R-30)
Authorizes prescribed burning in certain circumstances.