EnviroPolitics Blog

Trump’s return met with silence from formerly outspoken billionaire environmental champions

From left, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta; Lauren Sanchez, the fiancée of Jeff Bezos of Amazon; Mr. Bezos; and Sundar Pichai of Google with cabinet nominees at President Trump’s inauguration. Kenny Holston/The New York Times

By David Gelles, New York Times

Over the last decade or so, a group of America’s wealthiest individuals, largely from the tech industry, became some of the world’s biggest climate champions, pledging billions in highly public campaigns.

With the exception of Bloomberg, none of the leaders, including Bezos, Gates, Powell Jobs and Benioff, have made statements opposing the Trump administration’s actions. Silicon Valley’s major tech companies that have committed to reducing their emissions have also been silent.

On his first day in office, Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord, set in motion plans to open Alaskan wilderness to drilling and mining, halted federal approvals for new wind farms, told federal agencies to stop subsidizing electric vehicles, and paused approvals for renewable energy projects on public lands. Since then, his assault on climate initiatives promoted by the Biden administration has continued.

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What changed with NJ’s new Groundwater Quality Standards?

By David J. Mairo, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG Law)

On February 3, 2025, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) published the updated Class IIA Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS), N.J.A.C. 7:9C, originally proposed on January 2, 2024 and formally adopted on January 2, 2025. The new standards have the potential to impact ongoing and completed remediations at sites throughout New Jersey.

When originally published, the Department sought to update the specific ground water quality criteria and/or practical quantitation levels (PQLs) for 73 constituents of Class II-A ground water. The updates were reportedly based on United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) methodologies and the best available scientific information. The adopted version resulted in changes to 64 of the 73 originally identified constituents, of which 52 became more stringent and 12 became less stringent. The other nine constituents remained less than or equal to their PQLs, therefore no change was made. Some of the more commonly encountered contaminants for which there are now updated GWQSs include:

Benzene: 0.45 ug/l (ppb)
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA): 0.013 ug/l
Tetrachloroethene: 0.4 ug/l
Trichloroethene: 0.28 ug/l
Vinyl Chloride: 0.035 ug/l

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NJ candidates butt shoulders in revitalized Chamber train trip with politicians, lobbyists and business leaders

By Joanna Gagis, Senior Correspondent, NJ Spotlight News | February 6, 2025

It’s been five years since the Walk to Washington train departed Newark, picking up a who’s-who list of passengers headed down to the nation’s capital. It’s back at a time when 11 candidates are running to be New Jersey’s next governor; five Republicans and six Democrats. Many took this opportunity to rub shoulders, quite literally, with several of the state’s business and government leaders.

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Trump dismantles Environmental Justice team, staff put on leave

The Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 12, 2023. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg

By Stephen Lee, Bloomberg Law

168 EPA employees placed on administrative leave
Justice Department directed to roll back Biden-era memo

The EPA on Thursday put 168 employees within its environmental justice office on administrative leave as the Trump administration executes presidential actions to roll back diversity initiatives.

The affected staffers’ functions “did not relate to the agency’s statutory duties or grant work,” an Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman said.

The agency “is in the process of evaluating new structure and organization to ensure we are meeting our mission of protecting human health and the environment for all Americans,” the spokeswoman said.

The move to dismantle the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is consistent with an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day, directing the government to terminate diversity and environmental justice offices and positions.

Under former President Joe Biden, the OEJECR was a bustling department that housed a conflict prevention and resolution center, an office of resource management, a community support branch, an office of policy and program development, and a section dedicated to external civil rights compliance.

Biden’s environmental justice effort sought to prioritize considerations of disadvantaged communities that long suffered from pollution.

Read the full story hereIf you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.

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Judge rejects state pollution law suit against big oil companies

By Michael Sol Warren, NJ Spotlight News

New Jersey’s legal claims that deceptive actions by major oil companies encouraged the unchecked burning of fossil fuels and worsening of climate change have been dismissed.

State Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd in Mercer County ordered the state’s lawsuit dismissed Wednesday. Hurd wrote in his opinion that only federal law can govern the claims made by New Jersey, agreeing with arguments made by the oil companies’ lawyers.

“Only federal law can govern Plaintiffs’ interstate and international emissions claims because ‘the basic scheme of the Constitution so demands,’” Hurd wrote in his opinion. “Therefore, Plaintiffs’ complaint is hereby dismissed with prejudice for failure to state a claim.”

The decision is a blow to the state’s efforts to hold oil companies accountable for damages caused by climate change. The lawsuit, filed in 2022, claimed that oil industry actions to obfuscate connections between burning fossil fuels and global warming, despite industry scientists being aware of such links as far back as the 1950s, violated state law. Many of the world’s largest oil companies — ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron and ConocoPhillips — as well as the American Petroleum Institute, an industry trade association, were named as defendants. The attorney general’s office on Wednesday pledged to appeal the dismissal.

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Ex-NY State Senator Mike Martucci to lead EPA Region 2

From the USEPA

New York, N.Y. (February 6, 2025) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that President Donald J. Trump has appointed Michael Martucci as the Regional Administrator for EPA Region 2. As Regional Administrator for EPA Region 2, Mike is overseeing the EPA’s work to carry out important priorities of the administration’s environmental agenda and protect the people of the region covering New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally recognized Indian Nations.

“As a businessman, state senator, and community leader, Mike Martucci has proven he is committed to service,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “In the New York State Senate, he championed legislation aimed at improving our environment and advancing conservation. Mike brings a wealth of private and public sector experience and is exactly who we need leading Region 2. I am excited to have him aboard.”

Mike Martucci is a former NY State Senator, and respected business owner and farmer from the Hudson Valley. During his time in the NY State Senate, Mike was a supporter of New York’s Environmental Bond Act and passed legislation related to open space protection and inland waterway designation throughout his district which included portions of Orange, Ulster, and Delaware Counties as well as all of Sullivan County.

After college, Mike founded a school transportation company which grew from one bus that Mike drove to one of the largest in the country. The company now serves thousands of schoolchildren and their families in the Hudson Valley Region of New York. A family farmer, Mike is a steward of our environment and understands the importance of preserving open space for future generations.

Mike is a lifelong resident of Orange County. He is a dedicated family man who believes in giving back to his community through volunteerism, teaching and philanthropy. He is a graduate of Marist College where he obtained a Master of Business Administration degree. Mike and his wife Erin are raising their three children in Orange County, NY.

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