EnviroPolitics Blog

New Jersey and Philadelphia region under drought water ban

Montgomery County has a 30-day ban starting today. Delaware County’s already in effect.

From NJ Spotlight News

Weeks without rain have led to drought conditions and burn bans in the Philadelphia suburbs and throughout all of New Jersey.

Montgomery County has a 30-day ban starting Saturday.

Delaware County’s went into effect last week.

The entire state of New Jersey is under fire restrictions after fighting a record number of forest fires over the last few weeks.

“Wood, leaves, tree debris, anything like that, you’re not supposed to be doing anything at all,” said Delaware County Emergency Management Coordinator Larry Bak.

The rules of the burn bans can vary by county and municipality, but the state’s guidance is this: no open burning on the ground, in a barrel, or in a fire ring.

Campfires are allowed in rings in state-designated campgrounds. Typically charcoal grills and propane and gas stoves are still allowed.

Delaware County’s officials are asking people to use fire as little as possible.

“In the month of October, we had well over 100 brush fires dispatched,” said Bak. “Even to the point of improperly disposing of smoking material can start a fire.”

No charcoal fires are allowed and no agricultural burning.

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New Jersey Proposes Substantial Changes to Community Solar Rules

By James H. Laskey of Norris McLaughlin P.A.

On Oct. 7, 2024, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (“BPU”) approved a Notice of Proposed Substantial Changes Upon Adoption to Proposed Amendments to the Community Solar Energy Program (“CSEP”) Rules (the “Notice”). CSEP is a program that enables developers of large solar energy projects to resell the energy generated by their projects to multiple subscribers (homeowners, renters, and businesses) in the local community at a lower price than the standard retail price charged by local utilities.

Community solar began in New Jersey several years ago, but the formal regulations still reflect arrangements for a pilot program, even though the BPU has concluded that program was a success and should be replaced by a permanent program.

The BPU first proposed amendments to the pilot program rules to create the permanent program in September 2023, but those rules were never adopted. Instead, the BPU reviewed comments received on the proposed permanent program and has now proposed this Notice. In addition to adopting the proposed 2023 amendments, this Notice proposes revisions responding to the public comments received for the September 2023 proposal related to program eligibility, subscription requirements, cost recovery, Administratively Determined Incentive (“ADI”) Program eligibility, and the Successor Solar Incentive (“SuSI”) Program registration process. The pertinent proposed revisions are as follows:

CSEP Program Eligibility

BPU proposes adding “mining sites” to the list of permitted site types in the CSEP. This term would be defined as “a sand mine, gravel pit, or mine on land classified as “Extractive mining” in Level II of the modified Anderson classification system within the most recent Land Use/Land Cover GIS [Geographic Information System] data layer produced by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. A mining site would exclude forested land as defined at N.J.A.C. 14:8-12.2.”
BPU proposes modifying the co-location requirement of the CSEP to remove language distinguishing adjacent buildings with the same beneficial owner from those with different beneficial owners. The new language would not deem projects to be co-located if they are located on rooftops of separate buildings on different properties with different beneficial owners.
BPU proposes allowing electric distribution companies (“EDCs”) to own community solar projects under limited circumstances. EDCs would be allowed to register projects in the CSEP for any capacity that is not fully subscribed by the end of an energy year.

Read the full post here

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From a NJ diner, Rep. Josh Gottheimer announces his governor bid

By Cecilia Levine, Daily Voice, 11/15/2024 3:43 p.m.

The 49-year-old dad and former speechwriter, who was re-elected to his seat in North Jersey’s 5th congressional district in the House of Representatives earlier this month, launched his campaign Friday morning, Nov. 15, from the Runway Diner in South Hackensack.

Gov. Phil Murphy is not eligible to run for re-election in 2025 due to term limits.

Gottheimer vows to tackle affordability and fight for the values he says define the Garden State, pledging to lower taxes, reduce costs, and help families get ahead.

Gottheimer’s daughter Ellie introduced her dad at the launch, calling him her role model and “twin.”

Wiping tears from his eyes, Gottheimer took the podium

“Everything good in Jersey starts in a diner, and man after last week do we need some good news, What better way to take off than from here at the Runway Diner in South Hackensack,” he said.

The New Jersey congressman faces stiff competition for the Democratic nomination. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, and former New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney have declared their candidacies while Rep. Mickie Sherrill, D-NJ, is expected to enter the race Monday.

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North Jersey air quality deteriorates due to smoke from wildfire

*Jennings Creek Wildfire. Photo Credit: New Jersey Forest Fire Service*

By Cecelia Levine, Daily Voice, 11/15/2024 1:39 p.m.

The Jennings Creek Wildfire, which has scorched 2,283 acres across Passaic County, NJ, and Orange County, NY, was 90% contained Friday, Nov. 15, a week after it broke out, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

Residents in Bergen County, from Oakland to Fort Lee, reported smoke drifting from the wildfire.

A smoke map from AirNow.Gov shows the Air Quality Index (AQI) across the region. It appears that towns southeast of the fire had the worst AQIs as of 2:30 p.m.

Ridgewood’s AQI was by far the worst, with an AQI of 152, which is considered unhealthy. The rest had AQIs between 50 and 100, which is considered moderate.

The wildfire initially threatened 10 structures in New Jersey, including the Long Pond Ironworks Historic District, but no evacuations were necessary, and no buildings were damaged.

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EPA: Solvent 1,4-Dioxane can cause cancer and damage liver

From the United States Protection Agency

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final supplement to the risk evaluation and final risk determination for the solvent 1,4-dioxane under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA has determined that this chemical poses an unreasonable risk of injury to human health. 1,4-Dioxane has the potential to cause cancer and harm the liver and nasal tissue.

Although 1,4-dioxane was one of the first ten chemicals to be reviewed under amended TSCA, EPA’s 2020 risk evaluation did not evaluate general population exposures to 1,4-dioxane in drinking water or air, did not evaluate all the ways people could be exposed to 1,4-dioxane as a byproduct, did not evaluate the potential for simultaneous exposure to more than one source of 1,4-dioxane (aggregate risk) and did not evaluate potential exposures to fenceline communities.

These omissions led several Scientific Advisory Committee on Chemicals members to say that EPA’s “failure to assess 1,4-dioxane exposure in the general population may leave substantial portions of the population at risk. This is particularly concerning for drinking water.” The final supplement to the 1,4-dioxane risk evaluation addresses these concerns and provides the public with a more complete understanding of the risks presented by 1,4-dioxane.

1,4-Dioxane is a solvent used in a variety of commercial applications, such as in a laboratory, or in dish soap or laundry detergent used by cleaning services or laundromats, and industrial applications, such as the manufacture or processing of other chemicals (e.g., adhesives, sealants). It is also generated as a byproduct in several manufacturing processes, resulting in its presence as a contaminant in commercial and consumer products like dish soaps and laundry detergents which contribute to its presence in surface water when these products are washed down the drain.

People may be exposed to 1,4-dioxane at work or through consumer products. If industrial or commercial facilities release 1,4-dioxane into the air, people may breathe it in. Additionally, people may be exposed to 1,4-dioxane in water. Water can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane through industrial or commercial sources, or when consumer and commercial products that contain 1,4-dioxane are washed down the drain or disposed of in landfills.

EPA found that 1,4-dioxane presents unreasonable risk to workers and the general population, including fenceline communities. Ingesting or breathing 1,4-dioxane can cause cancer, liver toxicity, and adverse effects to nasal tissue.

Learn more about risk management for 1,4-dioxane.

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EPA proposing changes to landfill regulations

By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive

The U.S. EPA is soliciting comments on a series of white papers regarding landfill management practices through Jan. 23, 2025, the agency announced in a release. The agency said it is looking for ways to “streamline, improve, and harmonize the current suite of emissions regulations” for municipal solid waste landfills.
The agency has previously indicated that it would update emissions regulations for new and existing landfills next year. It previously issued an update in 2016 but that was not fully adopted until 2021.
In eight white papers, the agency included a series of possible changes to its New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines for new and existing landfills. Those changes include adding an organic waste diversion credit, allowing a regular aerial monitoring program, creating a methane emission threshold to trigger regulations for landfills and more.

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