Sandy's cedar forest damage helps young boat builders

Bob Williams photo
Hurricane Sandy left so much damage behind that it’s hard to keep up with accounts
of the storm’s human and environmental toll. Maybe that’s why a story in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer makes you feel so good.

Staffer Edward Colimore writes:

William S. Haines Jr. knew what he wanted to do when he saw hundreds
of Atlantic white cedars blown down by megastorm Sandy on his land in Chatsworth, Burlington County.

He’d restore the forest by selling the highly sought-after wood and turn a negative into a positive.

Then Haines learned of another restoration effort by an organization that uses wood to build young lives – and decided to donate cedar trees to the cause.

The Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory, an educational nonprofit in the city’s Frankford section, teaches boat-building classes to underperforming and economically disadvantaged high school students to help them develop problem-solving skills and character.

"This is a great project for those who don’t have the same opportunities that we’ve had," said Haines, who oversees the largest cranberry operation in New Jersey and one of the top five in the country. "This seemed like an easy thing to do."

Just five paragraphs in, you determined to keep reading, since you’re pretty sure you’ll like the outcome.

You will.  Read the entire piece here.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Alejandro A. Alvarez

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What you need to know about the EPA’s Gina McCarthy 

Sandy's cedar forest damage helps young boat builders Read More »

Wearin' our green — St. Patrick's Day Roundup

From this normally green- (as in environment) related blog, today some green updates of another sort–to help you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day…

St. Patrick’s Day — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts
Discover the history behind St. Patrick’s Day, observed by the Irish for 1000 years. Find out about the customary St. Patrick’s Day meal, popular holiday traditions and more.

St. Patrick’s Day 2013: 5 Things You Didn’t Know – ABC News

ABC News St. Patrick’s Day 2013: 5 Things You Didn’t Know
His birth name was actually Maewyn Succat — it wasn’t until he was in the Church that it was changed to Patricius, or Patrick. St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, was born in Kilpatric …

In Time for St. Patrick’s Day, a Visit From Obama’s Irish Cousin
Henry Healy is just one of many Irish visitors in town for St. Patrick’s festivities, but he is the only Irishman or woman who can say his cousin is the president of the United States.

Revelers from NYC to Dublin mark St. Patrick’s Day 
NEW YORK—Crowds cheered and bagpipes bellowed during New York City s annual St. Patrick s Day parade

Pointers for St. Patrick’s Day parade – Boston Herald

Chicagoans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day | WGN-TV
What would be a cold and cloudy St. Paddy’s Day celebration in Chicago started early Saturday morning for local and state leaders. Mayor Emanuel, Governor Quinn, and Senator Dick Durbin headed to mass at Old St. Pats

For Best St. Patrick’s Day, Live in These 5 Irish-American Cities
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and the cities with the most Irish-American influence are bound to have the most revved-up parties.

Roundup: Traditional And Alternative St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations
Feel the luck of the Irish all throughout Philadelphia this weekend and beyond with this lofty lineup of events

St Patrick’s Day Down Under: Beyond the glad tidings – The Irish Times

Pubs profit on St. Patrick’s Day weekend
Area pubs say they’re raking in double the profits this two-day St. Patrick’s Day weekend. They just hope Mother Nature doesn’t ruin their plans.

St Patrick’s Day 2011 – Riverdance Flashmob (Central Station, Sydney, Australia)

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Our most recent environmental news posts:  
An interview with NYC recycling ‘czar’ Ron Gonen

What you need to know about the EPA’s Gina McCarthy

Wearin' our green — St. Patrick's Day Roundup Read More »

An interview with NYC recycling 'czar' Ron Gonen


In May of 2012, Ron Gonen
joined New York City’s Department of Sanitation
in the newly created position of deputy commissioner for recycling and sustainability.
The f
ounder and former CEO of RecycleBank was charged with doubling the city’s
recycling rate (currently about 15%) by 2017.


Quite a challenge.
How are things going? Find out in this Q and A with Waste and Recycling News editor John Campanelli.

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We’ve all heard about New York City’s plans to ban Styrofoam. But did you know that the city soon will be using a privately-constructed recycling facility that will handle all recyclables, including all types of plastics ("No more reading that stupid thing on the bottom of the container, you can’t figure it out," the mayor says).

Watch the video below in which Mayor Michael Bloomberg (at 56:04) talks about the new recycling center being built by Sims** to handle all recycling in the city.The plant will be the largest of its kind in North America–and will be powered both by solar panels and a wind turbine ("the largest since the Dutch built windmills in New Amsterdam," Bloomberg quips).                          

New York also plans to test the feasibility of collecting and composting household (and public school) food waste. Currently more than 1 million tons of food waste annually is sent to landfills at a cost to taxpayers of $80 per ton. A pilot curbside program launches this spring in Staten Island. If it works out, the mayor says the program will go citywide.

** (Full Disclosure: Sims is a client of our sister consulting firm, Brill Public Affairs).



What do you think about NYC’s sustainability plans?  Let us know in the comment box below. If one is not visible, activate it by clicking on the tiny ‘comments’ line.

What you need to know about the EPA’s Gina McCarthy
Kennedy called, Cuomo waited on fracking health study
 
For all you fans of the Alaskan polar bear



An interview with NYC recycling 'czar' Ron Gonen Read More »

Did Supreme Court ruling rein in EPA enforcement?

This guest post, written by Thomas G. Echikson of LeClair Ryan, originally appeared in the law firm’s Environmental Law Insights. LeClair Ryan has offices in several cities, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Newark, NJ and Philadelphia.
  
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Did SCOTUS Just Rein In EPA’s Enforcement Authority?  

Thomas G. Echikson
As a general rule, to recover civil penalties for environmental violations, EPA or citizens must file suit within five years of the violation.  This is the default statute of limitation that applies to most civil penalty actions brought by the federal government.  Courts, however, have applied exceptions to this rule.  For example, if the violation is a “continuing” one, then the violation accrues each day. In that case, EPA can recover civil penalties for the five years before it files suit.
Another exception that has been used to extend the five year period is the so-called “discovery” rule. This rule provides that when a defendant “fraudulently conceals” a violation, the limitations period does not begin to run (or is tolled) until EPA, with diligent effort, discovers that violation. In a decision issued last week, the Supreme Court may have just killed this exception, a result which would put a dent in EPA’s enforcement capabilities.
Gabelli v. Securities Exch. Comm’n. involved an enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleging that the managers and officers of a mutual fund engaged in fraud.  The SEC argued that the discovery rule should apply to such fraud cases, thereby extending the five year limitations period (the same one that applies to EPA actions). The Supreme Court swiftly rejected this argument, concluding that the discovery rule had never been applied in fraud actions in which the government seeks civil penalties.
EPA, of course, generally does not bring fraud cases, but the Court’s decision suggests that the Court might reject the discovery rule even when the defendant has fraudulently concealed the underlying environmental violation (despite the fact that the Court explicitly said it was not ruling on this issue). This can be seen in the reasoning the Court employed in rejecting the SEC’s arguments in favor of the discovery rule.
As the Court explained, the discovery rule is intended to protect the victim of fraud who, despite reasonable efforts, does not realize that he or she has been injured. As a result, Courts have equitably extended the date the action accrues until victim discovers his or her injury. The Court reasoned that “[m]ost of us do not live in a state of constant investigation; absent any reason to think we have been injured, we do not spend our days looking for evidence that we were lied to or defrauded.” In contrast, in fraud cases, the SEC is not the victim and is not seeking damages for injuries it has suffered. Rather, a “central mission” of the SEC is to investigate and discover violations of law. In that context, the SEC has enforcement authorities not available to the average fraud victim. As a result, “the SEC as enforcer is a far cry from the defrauded victim the discovery rule evolved to protect.”
The same rationale can be applied to EPA. Like the SEC, one of EPA’s “central missions” is to investigate and discover violations of law, and Congress has given EPA extraordinary authorities to achieve this mission.  When someone commits an environmental violation, EPA has not suffered any injury and is not asking the court for damages. Rather, like the SEC, EPA is seeking civil penalties intended to punish the violator.  Given the similarities between the SEC and EPA, it is not a big leap to announce the death of the discovery rule in all government led civil enforcement actions, including those brought by EPA.
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Our most recent environmental news posts:  

What you need to know about the EPA’s Gina McCarthy
Kennedy called, Cuomo waited on fracking health study
  
For all you fans of the Alaskan polar bear  

Did Supreme Court ruling rein in EPA enforcement? Read More »

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary welcomes directors

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is a nonprofit organization working to prevent water pollution in coastal Delaware, southern New Jersey, and Southeast Pennsylvania. The following six professionals have committed to three-year
terms on its governing board of directors:
Beth Archer
Beth Archer is a vice president
with Anne Klein Communications Group, LLC, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey
In this position, she provides strategic counsel and other services for clients
in the energy, healthcare, and higher education industries.
Before joining Anne Klein
Communications Group in 2011, Archer was a senior manager of communications for
Exelon Nuclear.  There she oversaw media relations, issues management,
community outreach and internal communications for four nuclear power plants in
New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  Previously, with Unisys Corporation, she
managed communications that generated leads for the company’s enterprise server
division.
Archer graduated from Drexel
University with a Bachelor of Science degree in corporate communications. 
She is a past president and past chair of the Philadelphia Public Relations
Association, has volunteered with Children’s Village and People’s Emergency
Center, both of Philadelphia, and is a Leadership Philadelphia fellow. 
When not working or volunteering, Archer resides in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.
Roy E. Denmark, Jr.
Roy E. Denmark, Jr. is a vice president at Urban Engineers,
Inc., a full-service, engineering-consulting firm headquartered in Philadelphia
Denmark manages a staff of engineers and scientists who perform a wide variety
of environmental and waterfront engineering services.
Denmark retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’
Philadelphia District in 2011 after 37 years of federal service.  He last
served as the agency’s deputy district engineer for programs and project
management.  In this position, he oversaw the planning and execution of
civil works, international and interagency support, and military programs and
projects.  He also served in a number of positions at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 3 office, including deputy director,
office of environmental programs.
In addition to the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary,
Denmark is currently on the board of directors of the Seaman’s Church Institute
of Philadelphia and South Jersey and the Society of American Military
Engineers’ Philadelphia Post.  He is also a member of the Mariners’
Advisory Committee for the Bay & River Delaware.
Denmark holds both a B.A. and a M.S. in biology from Rutgers
University.  He is a resident of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, where he
lives with his wife, Judy Hykel.
Robert K. Dobbs, Jr.
Robert K. Dobbs, Jr. has served as director of the Camden
County Soil Conservation District, located in West Berlin, New Jersey,
for over 30 years.  As director, Dobbs is responsible for the management
and implementation of natural resource conservation programs.  This
includes an active regulatory program on lands being developed.  He also
serves as the chief financial officer of several large-scale management
projects.
Dobbs has previously served as president of the Association
of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, New Jersey Conservation District
Employees Association, Northeast Association of Conservation District
Employees, and the National Conservation District Employees Association. 
In addition to the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, he helps to guide the
Camden County Agricultural Development Board, Camden County Open Space
Preservation Trust Fund, and the Voorhees Environmental and Cultural Education
Foundation.
Dobbs has a B.S. in horticulture from Delaware Valley
College, and he previously studied at George Washington University.  Today
he lives in Voorhees, New Jersey.
Kimberly Long
Kimberly Long is a senior program manager with Exelon
Generation Company, LLC, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  In
this role, she provides expertise and support in the areas of aquatic biology,
permitting, environmental compliance, relicensing, and stream and wetland
encroachments.
Before joining Exelon, Long was employed with FirstEnergy
Corporation as an associate scientist.  Her responsibilities included
drinking water compliance, relicensing support, and obstruction and
encroachment compliance at power plants, as well as transmission and
distribution projects.  Prior to joining FirstEnergy, Long worked for the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as both a watershed manager
and a water pollution biologist.
In addition to the PDE’s board of directors, Long serves as
a member of West Pottsgrove Township’s Planning Commission and Open Space
Planning Committee.
Long received a B.S. degree in biology from Millersville
University in 1999 and a M.S. degree in biology from Bucknell University in
2001.  She currently resides in Stowe, Pennsylvania.

 

Thomas J. O’Connor
Thomas J. O’Connor is the vice president of customer
operations at Aqua America, an investor-owned water utility headquartered in Bryn
Mawr, Pennsylvania
.  This requires him to oversee 220 customer-service
employees who assist about 3 million consumers.  Together they perform
billing, collections, and meter operations, achieving approximately $800
million in revenue.
O’Connor has worked as a project manager, auditor, business
analyst, and controller since beginning his career 20 years ago at CBIZ Mahoney
Cohen & Company of New York.  Other past employers include Accume
Partners of Philadelphia, The Hermes Group of Princeton, and McGladrey of New
York.
A resident of Delran, New Jersey, O’Connor lives with
his wife and four children.  He holds a Master of Business Administration
degree from the New York Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Business
Administration degree from the University of Scranton.  He is also a
fellow of Leadership Philadelphia and a participant in the Pennsylvania
Business Council’s Executive Leaders Program.
Scott J. Schwarz
Scott J. Schwarz is a senior attorney in the City of
Philadelphia
Law Department.  He routinely represents the city in
court cases involving energy, the environment, sustainability and
transportation.  These often involve compliance and litigation relating to
the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other federal laws intended to
safeguard the public.
Prior to 2009, Schwarz spent over 20 years working in the
environmental law division of Mattioni, Ltd. of Philadelphia.  He has also
pursued cases on behalf of the Washington, D.C. law firms of Heron, Burchette
& Rothwell; Wisner & Schwarz; and Zuckert, Scout &
Rasenberger.  And he previously gained government experience working for
the State of Alabama’s Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Schwarz holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from George
Washington University and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Bucknell
University.  Today he resides in Center City, Philadelphia.

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Our most recent environmental news posts:  

What you need to know about the EPA’s Gina McCarthy
Kennedy called, Cuomo waited on fracking health study
  
For all you fans of the Alaskan polar bear
  

Start your day with some Jersey/Pennsy politics
  
Would NJ Highlands protection law pass if voted today? 
Americans set new record for solar cell efficiency
 
 

 

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary welcomes directors Read More »

As another storm hits, NJDEP says: Don't forget to call

Wind gust map at 2 p.m. today, March 6, 2013.  Highest gusts in red at top of scale

Some New Jersey Shore towns urged residents to leave low-lying areas as they readied for some possibly major coastal flooding today and Thursday from a powerful nor’easter.

In advance of the storm the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a reminder to drinking water and stormwater facilities that are required to report disruptions, upsets, failures, shutdowns, permit exceedances or other problems via the DEP’s hotline at 1-877-927-6337  See full DEP alert here
The storm, centered offshore south of New Jersey, also was expected to dump up to
6 inches of heavy, wet snow in Monmouth and Ocean counties and two to three inches in
northern counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Strong northeast winds gusting to 60 mph along the coast and 50 mph inland could down tree limbs and power lines, causing outages. Beach erosion also was anticipated.

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At 2:30 p.m. more than 10,000 customers in Monmouth and Ocean counties had lost power and several road closures were reported.

The Star-Ledger is providing storm updates (newest on top) as new information comes in, watches and warnings are issued and the forecast changes. If you’re at the shore, you can help the Asbury Park Press report on the storm by submitting news and photos to its Facebook page. Your submissions also are welcome at our EnviroPolitics Facebook page.

Our most recent environmental news posts: 
What you need to know about the EPA’s Gina McCarthy
Kennedy called, Cuomo waited on fracking health study
 
For all you fans of the Alaskan polar bear 
Start your day with some Jersey/Pennsy politics 
Would NJ Highlands protection law pass if voted today? 
Americans set new record for solar cell efficiency 
 

As another storm hits, NJDEP says: Don't forget to call Read More »