EnviroPolitics Blog

NJ Gov. Christie's top-level administration changes

Gov. Chris Christie today announced changes at the top levels of his administration, nominating a new attorney general and naming a new
chief of staff.

Amy Cradic - Formerly with DEP now Gov Christie's

Kevin O’Dowd Regina Egea Amy Cradic

The Republican governor picked his current chief of staff, Kevin O’Dowd,
to become attorney general and Regina Egea, currently director of the authorities unit, to take the chief of staff position. Former NJDEP Assistant Commissioner Amy Cradic will become the new deputy chief of staff.
Christie encouraged the state Senate to confirm O’Dowd by the end of the current session on Jan. 14. Senate President Steve Sweeney today had nice things to say about O’Dowd which could signal that the confirmation may go smoothly. That has not been the case for
a number of the governor’s judicial appointments whose nominations have been blocked or delayed in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Prior to joining the Christie Administration, O’Dowd served as the Chief of the Securities and Healthcare Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. During his seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, O’Dowd prosecuted various crimes ranging from healthcare, securities and financial fraud matters to international child pornography distribution, cyber crimes and narcotics trafficking violations. ——————————————————————————————————————————-
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Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA legislation—introduction to enactment _______________________________________________________________________ Prior to her current assignment, Egea was Chief of Staff to the State Treasurer. There, her responsibilities included general management of all Treasury operations and she also played a leading role in developing and implementing the pension and benefit reforms that Governor Christie signed into law in June 2011. Before joining state government in February 2010, Egea was a Senior Vice President with AT&T in Bedminster where she led its global sales segment marketing team. Since March of 2012, Cradic has served as Gov. Christie’s Senior Policy Advisor for Energy, Environment, Transportation, Labor, State Planning, Tourism and Gaming, Intergovernmental Relations and Federal Issues. Prior to joining the administration she was worked for six years at the Department of Environmental Protection where she was Asst. Commissioner for natural and historic resource programs, overseeing an operating budget of $90 million and a 900 full-time and 750 part-time staff.

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NJ Gov. Christie's top-level administration changes Read More »

Will Massachusetts be the second state to ban fracking?

Legislation that would impose a 10-year moratorium on hydraulic fracturing is making its way through the Massachusetts state legislature, Grist reports.

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On Wednesday, the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture passed the bill, which would also prohibit the dumping of fracking wastewater in the state.

“Although the state isn’t seen as a rich source of shale gas, there could be limited deposits in western Massachusetts,” the Associated Press reports.

As EcoWatch explains, “Local concern about fracking has grown since the U.S. Geological Survey identified shale gas deposits in the Pioneer Valley last December. Moreover, as New York mulls large-scale fracking next door, drilling operators could soon view Western Massachusetts as a convenient dumping ground for toxic fracking wastewater.”

If the full state legislature passes the bill and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) signs it, Massachusetts would become the second state in the nation to ban fracking. Vermont banned it last year, despite having negligible fracking potential.

In New Jersey, the state legislature last year passed a bill banning the treatment
of fracking waste but Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the measure.

See the full story: Will Massachusetts become the second state to ban fracking?

Related environmental news stories:
Critics Blast Plan to Ship Fracking Wastewater on … – NJ Spotlight
New Jersey Residents Demand Fracking Waste Ban | EcoWatch
New York bans fracking, but environmental and economic benefits find their way

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New snowmobile trails stir conflict in NY Adirondacks
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Will Massachusetts be the second state to ban fracking? Read More »

New snowmobile trails stir conflict in NY Adirondacks

The use of tracked groomers is causing controversy in the Adirondacks

For Dick Rosteck, a new snowmobile trail through the Adirondacks is "the greatest thing since homemade apple pie" and volunteering his time to groom it with a tracked vehicle
is a labor of love, reports Mary Esch of the Associated Press.

"But some environmental groups see such trails as snowmobile superhighways cut through the woods at the expense of habitat and the tradition of trails scaled to leave little mark on the wild lands. They’re suing to stop the state from downing what they claim are too many trees to make way for them, and they also want to ban the use of tracked groomers, which drag a heavy steel frame to smooth trails for a safer, more comfortable ride.

"At stake is continued work on a network of new trails linking tourism-dependent communities in the park, a project that has taken years to plan and collaboration between regulators, environmentalists and snowmobile enthusiasts.

"Snowmobilers say the legal attack comes from a group of environmental purists who have little tolerance for motorized means of enjoying the back country. Among those disputing that characterization is Peter Bauer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks, one of the groups that has sued.

"We are in no way looking to end snowmobiling or grooming on the Forest Preserve," Bauer said. "It is about making state agencies obey state law and protecting the Forest Preserve from further damage from the construction and grooming of excessively wide road-like trails."

"He said tracked groomers are illegal under the Adirondack State Land Master Plan, which governs activities on the 2.6-million-acre patchwork of state-owned Forest Preserve within the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park."

Read the full story at:
New Adirondacks snowmobile trails stir conflicts over tree-cutting, tractor-like groomers

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New snowmobile trails stir conflict in NY Adirondacks Read More »

Sen. Casey: Extend Broad St. Subway To Navy Yard

Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa) is urging the Federal Transit Administration, to begin discussions with stakeholders in the region about extending Philadelphia’s Broad Street line by 1.5 miles into the Navy Yard.

“Increasing reliable transportation services is critical to Philadelphia’s present and future economy,” Casey said. “Extending this line would continue to grow the Navy Yard as an attractive place for businesses. This effort will support the thousands of jobs already at the Navy Yard, and could create more.”

The Public Record reports:

Extending the Orange Line southward has been bruited about for decades. As the City began methodically to redevelop the site after the Navy closed most of its activities there in 1995, transportation became a key planning concern.

In 2008 a team of agencies commissioned the Broad Street Line Extension Feasibility Study. This report found extending the subway could be done relatively cheaply because most of it could be built with a trench instead of by drilling.

Two new subway stops would support “greater residential and commercial uses in a transit supportive manner at a cost of approximately $370 million (in 2008 dollars). The study demonstrates the strong ridership, development potential, and economic benefit for the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” the study asserted.

The study estimated $4.6 billion in economic impact from the subway extension, as property values soar and new residential and commercial development followed the Orange Line into Navy Yard.

More than 8,000 new boardings a day would make the Broad Street Subway much more efficient than existing bus service, the study found, making it the most cost-effective form of public transit for the area.

The Navy Yard currently supports 130 companies and 10,000 workers, and an extended line could increase the economic benefit to businesses and residents by boosting jobs and tax rateables for the City and State.

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Sen. Casey: Extend Broad St. Subway To Navy Yard Read More »

Interview with Clean Ocean Action’s Cindy Zipf

Clean Ocean Action’s Cindy Zipf – Tedxnavesink photo

On this Thanksgiving Day episode of EnviroPolitics Podcast,we interview Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action.

Cindy reflects on the battle her group led 20 year ago to stop ocean dumping off the New Jersey coast. She explains how her coalition has been pushing for national legislation to protect one of the nation’s remaining un-industrialized ocean areas and she details their present-day fight to stop Port Ambrose a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility proposed by Liberty Natural Gas off the coasts of New Jersey and New York.

Our conversation wraps up with a discussion of how Clean Ocean Action contributed, in award-winning fashion, to numerous cleanups in shore communities following Superstorm Sandy–and what lies ahead.

We think you’ll really like the show and you may learn a good deal, too.

Want to help us grow the podcast? We’d be most grateful if you’d take a few minutes to give us a review on iTunes and Stitcher. You review will help us reach more listeners and encourage experts to participate in future interviews. Thanks in advance.

Check out this episode!
Hear previous episodes here

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For more information like this, try a FREE, 30-day subscription to EnviroPolitics.
Our daily newsletter also tracks NJ & PA legislation—from introduction to enactment

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Our most recent blog posts:

Corbett signs transportation bill, channeling Christie
Hurricane Sandy bills get a hearing in Trenton today
Will Lambertville follow neighbor on organics recycling?
Learning a lot at the NJ Municipal League Conference

Fox Rothschild partners re-elect management team

Interview with Clean Ocean Action’s Cindy Zipf Read More »

Corbett signs transportation bill, channeling Christie

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett

While signing a $2.3 billion transportation bill yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett praised the bipartisan votes in both houses last week that brought the legislation to his desk.

Contrasting the bill’s enactment to the partisan gridlock in Congress that led to a 16-day partial shutdown of the national government in October, he said:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

“Pennsylvania is a state that puts progress ahead of party. The men and women who stood for this bill understood that compromise is not surrender, but rather a path to success.”

If that line sounds like it was lifted from neighboring GOP Gov Chris Christie’s landslide re-election victory speech, you can’t blame Corbett. He’s re-election is anything but a given.

A little Washington-bashing seems to be working for Christie. Corbett may as well
give it a try.

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Our most recent posts:

Hurricane Sandy bills get a hearing in Trenton today
Will Lambertville follow neighbor on organics recycling?
Learning a lot at the NJ Municipal League Conference

Fox Rothschild partners re-elect management team

Corbett signs transportation bill, channeling Christie Read More »