Breaking: Bridgegate's Wildstein to plead guilty

David Wildstein – Wamsteker/Bloomberg

David Wildstein, a former ally of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is set to plead guilty and may be cooperating with federal prosecutors probing traffic jams he ordered near the George Washington Bridge, David Voreacos reports this afternoon for Bloomberg.

"Wildstein is scheduled to appear Friday in federal court in Newark, where grand jurors have heard testimony in secret for months about gridlock over four mornings in Fort Lee, New Jersey, according to the person, who requested anonymity because the matter isn’t public.

"He would plead guilty to a charging document known as a criminal information, the person said. It was unclear what the specific charges would be in the plea. The plea was originally scheduled for Thursday, the person said.

"A plea by Wildstein, who was a top appointee at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, would be the first conviction for U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in an investigation of the September 2013 lane closures," Voreacos wrote.

"The scandal has hurt Christie’s popularity as the Republican weighs a run for the White House and tests his tough-talking image with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"Christie has denied knowledge of a plot to close two of the three local-access lanes to the world’s busiest bridge, which is run by the Port Authority. If Wildstein pleads guilty and cooperates with prosecutors, he could give them an inside view of how the plot unfolded."


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NJDEP chief defends siphoning $$ from open-space fund

Image: Slate.com

 

In the past, New Jersey relied on funds from its annual budget to finance oversight of its many parks and wildlife management areas, including staffing costs, Tom Johnson writes in today’s NJ Spotlight
"Not anymore, if the Christie administration gets its way with a proposed spending plan for the next fiscal year.
"The draft budget would allocate up to 25 percent of as much as $80 million in a new fund approved by voters last November to pay those costs — depleting a dwindling pot of money for open-space preservation and other projects.
"For the second time in less than two weeks, that diversion drew scrutiny and criticism from lawmakers, who argued it was not what voters signed up for last fall when they overwhelmingly approved using a portion of corporate business taxes to fund such programs."

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Sandy who? Waterfront sales continue to rise at the shore


Like the coming and going of the seasons and the erosion and restoration of the beaches, property values at the Jersey Shore always eventually rebound after punishing storms. Even with the multitude of beach homes ruined but still standing 2.5 years after Sandy roared up the coast, realtors report that oceanfront values are steadily climbing back to pre-Sandy levels.

The value of properties farther from the beach and bay are slower to recover but if New Jersey is fortunate enough to dodge another major hurricane for a decade or so, snapping up one of those properties today could proved to be a wise investment.

Lauren Wanko of NJTV News, reporting from Bay Head, has the story in the video above.

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Access improvements coming for Philly’s waterfront

Just in time for summer, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation is starting, re-starting, or advancing a handful of construction, infrastructure and transportation projects to help connect Penn’s Landing to the rest of Philadelphia: Spruce and Callowhill will soon be two-way streets near the river, the Race Street Connector’s north side will get an uplift to match the south, and work on converting Pier 68 into a park could wrap up by Labor Day.

On the New Jersey side, you can expect to see better access to the Camden waterfront and the RiverLink Ferry will begin operating again soon.

PlanPhilly has details here  

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Feds give PJM waiver to delay annual power auction


Tom Johnson reports today in NJ Spotlight:

The federal government is allowing a delay in an annual power auction next month, a decision that proponents say will increase reliability of electricity supplies, but critics say could boost bills for consumers and businesses.

In a letter from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week to PJM Interconnection, the operator of the nation’s largest power grid, the agency granted a waiver to postpone PJM’s May auction aimed at ensuring there is enough electricity for customers — especially in unusual circumstances.

The auction is important to consumers in New Jersey because it determines how much they will be charged for so-called capacity payments to energy suppliers, which in this state have become an increasingly large part of their utility bills. In New Jersey, because of congestion on the power grid, capacity payments are much higher than in neighboring states, costs that are passed on to consumers.

The delay is also a concern to critics of the proposal, who said it creates uncertainty among energy suppliers, a concern that could lead to generators bidding higher prices to provide the necessary capacity. They also say that it also could discourage some suppliers from participating in the auction.

 
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Pretty and practical, green roofs sprouting all over Philly

Workers are busy installing greenery on the roof of the Philadelphian condo complex
   The city now has 111 green roofs, with 64 on the way. David Swanson/ Photographer 

On Earth Day, Sandy Bauer reports in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"Across the city, the tops of buildings and parking lots are sprouting greenery like never before. The number of green roofs in Philadelphia has tripled since 2010, according to the Water Department, which tracks the roofs because they absorb storm-water runoff.

"The city now has 111 green roofs, roughly 25 acres’ worth. An additional 64 roofs are in the queue. The completed ones range from a tiny poof of greenery atop a bus stop shelter – installed at 15th and Market Streets as an attention-getter in 2011 – to one of the latest and biggest, one-acre-plus of greenery at Cira Centre South in University City.

"Roof gardens are atop hospitals, office buildings, the Philadelphia Free Library, schools, and private homes. Since 2009, virtually every new building and major renovation at the University of Pennsylvania has been designed with a green roof – "an integral part of Penn’s sustainability goals," said spokeswoman Heidi Wunder.

Some are even the equivalent of mini parks in the sky. One under construction atop a parking garage near the Cira Centre will be more than an acre, with trees and prime views of the city. The 2.7-acre project nearing completion at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is perhaps even more inviting because it’s so visible – just above street level. But it’s a roof all the same. The rest of the building, a parking lot, is simply underground.

"We’re doing it for all the appropriate technical reasons, but it’s also designed as a park for people to use," said Douglas Carney, vice president of facilities at Children’s Hospital. Thus, the trees, benches, and fountains.
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NJ Water Supply Plan hearing Wednesday in Trenton 
Top PADEP executive joins PR firm’s energy practice

 

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