Two good stories on Pa fracking and NJ flooding

Here are two stories that you might have missed in the past few days that deserve attention.

natural gas blue flame In Fracking takes toll in Pennsylvania, but New Jersey gets bargain, The Record‘s
James M. O’Neil writes:

"The recent boom in natural gas drilling across Pennsylvania has turned some property owners into millionaires. It also has forced some rural communities there to endure swaths of denuded forest, fumes from diesel engines, the rattle of equipment, midnight skies lit up by the lights for well pads, spills of dangerous wastewater, and the leak of explosive methane into their drinking water wells.

"One state away, New Jersey residents have enjoyed significant benefits from the gas being mined from the Marcellus Shale Formation through fracking. With  an abundance of gas on the market, New Jerseyans have seen significant drops in the price of gas to heat their homes and cook their food – price cuts that are likely to continue this winter. And many coal-fired power plants in the Midwest have switched to natural gas, which has improved the air quality downwind in New Jersey."

O’Neil goes on to highlight the benefits and downsides of the fracking boom in both states.


Read the full story here

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In Problems with repetitive flooding mean recurring losses for inland New Jersey, NJ Public Radio reporter Scott Gurian creates both an audio and written story (for NJ Spotlight) on a complicated problem that has no easy answers.

It is the repetitive flooding in New Jersey towns far from the shore communities that drew most of the attention in the wake of Hurricane Sandy

Dashboard 1


This eye-opening paragraph gives you an idea of how big a problem repetitive flooding is:

 
"Since most homeowners living in these areas are insured through the National Flood Insurance Program, this ends up costing taxpayers, who until now have been forced to subsidize residents to repair houses that continually flood. According to claims data supplied by FEMA, one condominium building in Kearny, for example, has filed 30 separate claims over the past 36 years totaling more than $5.3 million in pay-outs. Another, single-family home in River Vale is listed as having filed 16 flood insurance claims, adding up to $1.3 million, while a home in Pompton Lakes has flooded 20 times over the years."

Read the full story here  

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NJ taxpayers came up craps on Revel casino. Right?

                                                             Aaron Houston photo

Actually, no.


The common belief is that New Jersey took a sucker bet on the $2.4 billion Revel Casino and lost big. (The casino spun its last roulette wheel minutes before going belly today at 5 a.m.)


But, it turns out that the state never paid out a penny of the $261.3 million Economic Redevelopment and Growth tax credit awarded to the project by the state Economic Development Authority in 2011.  


NJBIZ‘s Andrew George offers this quote today from Tim Lizura, EDA president and chief operating officer:

“To be clear, Revel has not received one penny of its ERG award,” said  “These incentives have built-in safeguards to ensure taxpayer money is used responsibly. Before receiving any of their approved award, projects must first generate new tax revenue, complete capital investments and/or hire or retain employees.”


Read the full story here  

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It Used to Be a World-Renowned Gambling Resort

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NJ taxpayers came up craps on Revel casino. Right? Read More »

Win a grant to help switch your Pa. fleet to natural gas


Pennsylvania opens its third round of Natural Gas Vehicle grants tomorrow, Aug. 30.
The grants will provide an estimated $6 million to help pay for the incremental purchase
and conversion costs of heavy-duty natural gas fleet vehicles.

Since 2013, the state Department of Environmental Protection says it has awarded $14 million to 44 organizations and companies making the switch to compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), and bi-fuel vehicles weighing 14,000 pounds or more.

Those eligible to apply include non-profit organizations, local transportation organizations, state owned or state related universities, commonwealth or municipal authorities, for-profit companies and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
 
Requests can be no more than 50 percent of the incremental purchase or retrofit cost per vehicle, with a maximum total of $25,000 per vehicle.

Grant applications are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, and will be awarded this winter.

Eligible applicants are encouraged to participate in a related webinar, scheduled for
Sept. 22, from 2 to 3 p.m.

To register for the webinar and view the updated guidance document and online grant application, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click on the “Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program” button.

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The rebirth (we sure hope) of the famed Rutgers tomato

Rutgers tomato seedling – Jennifer  Pottheiser photo

Everyone pays lip service to the juicy Jersey tomato.

Here’s how tomato expert Jack Rabin describes the famed Rutgers variety that ruled summer picnics and sandwiches from the 1950s to the mid 1980s:

“You’re on your way home from the Shore, you stop at a farm market, you buy some tomatoes. The car smells great. You grab a saltshaker and take a bite. You take another bite. Ahhhh…”


What happened to them?

In New Jersey Monthly, Paula Spam writes: “Blame interstate highways, which enabled produce to be trucked longer distances more quickly, but also encouraged plant scientists
to produce firmer hybrids with thicker skins and interior walls (and less taste) for improved “shippability.”

She adds: “Also blame North Carolina State University, where now-retired breeder Randolph Gardner developed high-yielding, crack-resistant hybrids that became Eastern U.S. standards by the 1990s.”

But now, after four years of “diligently hybridizing and selecting,” three Rutgers scientists are close to recreating the greatest Jersey tomato of them all.

Tomorrow, at the Open House and Great Tomato Tasting at Snyder Farm in Pittstown, NJ, the public will decide it the three tomato nurturers have pulled it off.


Let us know how it goes. We’ll be at the grocery store buying white bread and mayonnaise.  We can taste those Rutgers Tomato sandwiches already.

Read Paula’s full, lip-smacking story here 

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The rebirth (we sure hope) of the famed Rutgers tomato Read More »

Trenton to Newark: Paddler finishes 9-day eco-journey

Ocean Paddler and Activist Margo Pellegrino finishes her 9-Day paddle from Trenton
to Newark at Riverfront Park in Newark, N.J., on Friday, August 22, 2014. (Video by
Frances Micklow / The Star-Ledger) 
 
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Trenton to Newark: Paddler finishes 9-day eco-journey Read More »

Historic $260 million FEMA mitigation grant will help Sandy-smashed NJ wastewater plant shore up defenses


The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded a $260 million Public Assistance grant to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC). It is the largest mitigation grant FEMA ever has issued through the Public Assistance Program. 

New Jersey Business reports that the funding will be used to build a comprehensive flood protection system at the wastewater treatment facility in Newark and incorporate microgrid technology to allow the facility to continue to operate when the larger electric grid fails.

"PVSC’s Newark wastewater treatment plant, the fifth largest in the nation, serves an estimated two million residents of New Jersey and New York. The plant processes 25 percent of New Jersey’s waste and 15 percent of New York City’s. Forty-eight communities feed into the system.
              
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"The extensive physical damage to the 152-acre facility from Sandy’s storm surge and the resulting power outage caused significant community and environmental impacts.  Power outages shut down key pumping stations for 48 hours and, in order to prevent raw sewage from backing up into thousands of homes, PVSC was forced to discharge 840 million gallons of untreated sewage into Newark Bay.

"It took six days for workers to restore wastewater treatment capabilities, and the facility was not fully functional for months."


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