EnviroPolitics Blog

NJ lawmakers struggling to find way to fund open space

Residents of New Jersey, the nation’s most densely populated state, have long supported public funding to preserve disappearing farmland and open space,but the money from previous bond issues has all been spent and,with the state budget under stress, just how to come up with more is a question of considerable debate.

Today, the state Senate Environment and Energy Committee voted to release two bills that would dedicate a portion of the state’s sales tax (1/5th of each penny) for the purchases of land and preservation of historic properties.

Chairman Bob Smith explains the legislation in this sound clip:

If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

Organizations representing municipalities (State League of Municipalities) and counties (NJ Association of Counties) testified in favor of the bills, as did the association representing the state’s agriculture community (NJ Farm Bureau).

They were followed in their support by a long line of environmental and preservation organizations including:

Preservation New Jersey
NJ Recreation and Parks Association
Pinelands Preservation Alliance
Nature Conservancy
NJ Institute of Architects
NJ Highlands Coalition
NJ Conservation Foundation
Delaware and Raritan Greenway Land Trust
Raritan Headwaters Association
Monmouth Conservation Foundation
NJ League of Conservation Voters
NJ Environmental Lobby
American Littoral Society
Trust for Public Land

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One notable dissenting voice was the Sierra Club’s Jeff Tittle who protested Gov. Christie’s "stealing" of a variety of environmental funds (Clean Energy Fund, environmental penalty settlements, etc.) for other budgetary programs. Tittle said he’d like to see a constitutional protection assuring that all environmental funds are used only for their intended purpose.

Senator Jennifer Beck, one of the two Republican members of the committee cast the only no vote. Some of Beck’s past votes presaged positions taken by the Christie Administration. Is this another?

The governor has been coy on the issue. Since his election almost four years ago, his spokespersons have maintained that Christie supports open space funding but that he has not yet decided on the best way to accomplish that goal.

NJ lawmakers struggling to find way to fund open space Read More »

DRBC publishes online commission meeting highlights

Waiting in our email pile this morning was something that surprised us.The Delaware River Basin Commission had sent a document reporting the highlights of its most recent public meeting held on May 8.

The highlights report contains hyperlinks that open full copies of meeting resolutions and the details of every project application that came before the commission for approval.

The most controversial application voted on (and approved) was Exelon Generation’s request to increase the maximum daily water withdrawal from the Schuylkill River for its Limerick Generating Station, a nuclear power plant in Montgomery County, Pa. The meeting summary includes a news release announcing that approval.

Although the highlights document contains the entire meeting agenda, two potentially newsworthy reports—those delivered by its Executive Director and General Counsel–
are listed but are not accompanied by hyperlinks. This likely is the result of both reports being delivered verbally.

We think the Commission deserves high-five for its meeting highlights report. It’s a public service that other boards and commissions should follow.

How can it be improved? The commission should consider taping reports given by its executive director and general counsel, posting the audio files to its website, and linking to them in future meeting highlight reports.

Do you know of other public bodies that are providing similar e-reports?
How do they stack up against what the DRBC is doing? Let us know in the comments block below. If one is not visible, activate it by clicking on the tiny ‘links’ line.

Related environmental news stories:
DRBC Approves Docket for Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station
River use changes sought by Limerick nuke plant likely to be approved

Our latest posts:
Whew! PADEP’s missing nuclear gauge has been found
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
Pa House Environmental committee meeting today
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor’s encouraging new desalination process

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For thorough coverage of environmental news, issues, legislation and regulation in NJ, PA, NY & DE, try a FREE subscription to EnviroPolitics. Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA environment and energy bills–from introduction to enactment
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DRBC publishes online commission meeting highlights Read More »

Whew! PADEP’s missing nuclear gauge has been found

Popular Mechanics

All right, we may have made a bit more of it than warranted (PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?) but feel free to step out of your bomb shelter. The Pennsylvania DEP has found its missing nuclear gauge.

Other than a bit of embarrassment for the agency and the contractor who was transporting the gauge, there has been no harm, the DEP says. No evidence of tampering with the device. Everything back in place. Tucked in. Safe and sound.

In a four-paragraph news release today, the DEP says the device was found by a citizen along I-81 in West Virginia after it apparently fell off the contractor’s truck. No mention of whether the employee responsible for securing the device is exploring new career options.

Here’s the DEP’s latest (and we assume final) comment::

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today that it recovered in Maryland the missing nuclear gauge a Franklin County company lost in West Virginia on May 3. The device has not been tampered with or damaged.

“We are relieved that the nuclear gauge has been recovered and that no radioactive materials were released,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said. “The agency thanks the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, West Virginia officials, the public and the citizen who discovered the gauge along the road for the combined effort to find it.”

The nuclear gauge has been returned to Valley Quarries Inc. of Chambersburg, Franklin County, which lost the Troxler Model 3430 gauge when it fell off the company’s truck on I-81 in West Virginia between mile markers 17 and 24.

The gauge is normally stored in a locked yellow transportation container when not in use at construction sites for taking measurements in the ground, but it apparently fell out of the container on the back of the company’s truck during transport to another work site.

Our latest posts:
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
Pa House Environmental committee meeting today
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor’s encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York’s Brownfields programs?

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For thorough coverage of environmental news, issues, legislation and regulation in NJ, PA, NY & DE, try a FREE subscription to EnviroPolitics. Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA environment and energy bills–from introduction to enactment
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Whew! PADEP’s missing nuclear gauge has been found Read More »

NRG agrees to stop burning coal at Pa power plant

NRG’s Portland Generating Station in Mt. Bethel, Pa. Photo by NJ..com

UPDATE: Additional related news stories added at 12:35 a..m. on May 16, 2013

As part of a settlement with the states of New Jersey and Connecticut, NRG announced it will stop using coal as fuel in two units at its Portland Generating Station in Mt. Bethel, Pa by June 1, 2014. The units were previously scheduled to be deactivated on Jan. 6, 2015.

NRG also agreed to invest $1 million to benefit the environment in New Jersey and Connecticut. The settlement, via a federal Consent Decree, allows the parties to avoid
further litigation of a lawsuit that began in 2007.

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“NRG only acquired the Portland plant in December 2012 when we closed our merger with GenOn – but we immediately started working with New Jersey and Connecticut and were able to resolve this issue without additional delay or cost to taxpayers,” said Lee Davis, President of NRG’s East Region.

“As a part of the settlement, we committed to make a significant investment in projects that are beneficial to the environment consistent with NRG’s focus on providing power in a way that is environmentally responsible, reliable and affordable,” Davis said.

NRG says it is the nation’s largest developer of fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, and a leading developer of large-scale and distributed solar energy.

Related environmental news stories:
Portland plant to stop using coal six months early
Cleaner Air Coming To Connecticut | Connecticut Consumer
Portland Generating Station to shut down coal-fired units several months early
First Solar Brings NRG’s Alpine Solar On-Line
NRG Introducing Solar with Battery Storage for Homeowners
NRG Sells Power From Electric Car to PJM Grid in Delaware

Our latest posts:
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor’s encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York’s Brownfields programs?
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record

NRG agrees to stop burning coal at Pa power plant Read More »

Pa House Environmental committee meeting today

The Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee was meeting
in Harrisburg, Pa. this morning to take up the three bills listed below (with their legislative history):

HB
1325 (Maloney) Amends the the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act,
further providing for definitions, for official plans and for permits.
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL
RESOURCES AND ENERGY, May 6, 2013

SB
196 (D. White) Expands PENNVEST funding under the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority Act
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL
RESOURCES AND ENERGY, Jan. 17, 2013 [Senate]
Reported as committed from ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, Jan. 23, 2013
First consideration, Jan. 23, 2013
Re-referred to APPROPRIATIONS,
Feb. 13, 2013
Re-reported
as amended from APPROPRIATIONS, March 18, 2013
Second
consideration, April 8, 2013
Third
consideration and final passage, April 15, 2013 (49-0)

In the House
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL
RESOURCES AND ENERGY, April 16, 2013

HR
223 (Tallman) A Resolution
memorializing the Congress of the United States to support Congressman Glenn
Thompson of Pennsylvania’s efforts to pass H.R. 979, known as the Forest
Products Fairness Act of 2013, and urging each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania to support his efforts.
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, April 9, 2013

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For thorough coverage of environmental news, issues, legislation and regulation in NJ, PA, NY & DE, try a FREE subscription to EnviroPolitics. Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA environment and energy bills–from introduction to enactment
———————————————————————————————————————————-

Our latest posts:
NRG agrees to stop burning coal at Pa power plant
PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor’s encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York’s Brownfields programs?
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record

Pa House Environmental committee meeting today Read More »

PADEP: Anybody see a nuclear gauge laying around?

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection put out a news release today that had to hurt.

It asks whether anyone has seen a missing nuclear gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material that apparently fell off the back of a truck somewhere in West Virginia.

Lest you think we’re making this up, here’s the full text of the news release:

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and West Virginia state officials are searching for a missing portable gauge containing sealed sources of radioactive material that was lost in West Virginia on May 3, and are asking anyone with information on the missing gauge to report it to DEP.

“It is critical for anyone who has information about the lost nuclear gauge to contact the Pennsylvania DEP, Nuclear Regulatory Commission or a local law enforcement agency immediately,” DEP Bureau of Radiation Protection Director David Allard said. “As long as the device is not tampered with or damaged, it presents no hazard to public safety.”

The gauge, a Troxler Model 3430 with serial number 32506, was lost when it apparently fell off the back of a truck on I-81 between the Pennsylvania and West Virginia border between mile markers 17 and 24. The bright yellow gauge is commonly used in road construction for taking measurements in the ground, and it is about the size of a shoe box, with electronic controls and a metal rod extending from the top surface.

The gauge is normally stored in a locked yellow transportation container when not in use at construction sites, but it apparently fell out of the container on the back of the company’s truck during transport.

Valley Quarries Inc. of Chambersburg, Franklin County, is licensed by DEP to possess and use the gauge. Staff from the company was using it in West Virginia at the time it was lost.

Anyone who finds the gauge should leave it alone and report the location to DEP during normal working hours at 717-787-2480 or 412-442-4227. After normal working hours and on weekends, call 1-800-541-2050 or 412-442-4000. In the event of an emergency, dial 911. A trained individual will be dispatched immediately to recover the gauge.

The company is offering a reward for information leading to its return.

Think there’s a chance the gauge will be ‘discovered’ tonight by Jay Leno, David Letterman
or Jon Stewart?

Our latest posts:
NJ agriculture, environment bills in committee today
NJIT professor’s encouraging new desalination process
Tweaks ahead for New York’s Brownfields programs?
Christie takes double rap on his environmental record
Shore reconstruction bills on NJ lawmakers’ agenda