EnviroPolitics Blog

Derailment in PA sends two locomotives sliding to Lehigh River

By Jeff Ward, 69 News

LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Part of a Norfolk Southern freight train went off the tracks in Northampton County on Saturday. The derailment sent two locomotives down an embankment and partially into the Lehigh River some 6 miles southeast of Bethlehem, PA

The incident was reported around 7:15 a.m. near the 2200 block of Riverside Drive in the Steel City section of Lower Saucon Township.

During a news conference that was streamed live on WFMZ.com at 11 a.m., officials said that diesel fuel had spilled into the Lehigh River but that the spill had been contained. Polypropylene pellets were also leaking from one of the train’s cars.

Officials said they believe three trains were involved in the derailment, but they did not say what caused it.

Norfolk Southern is on site and working to assess the situation.

No injuries were reported, and there was no hazardous materials threat to the public, officials said.

Click to read the full story

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Jersey drama every weekend in Andy Kim vs. Tammy Murphy battle

Supporters of U.S. Rep. Andy Kim’s hold signs supporting Kim before the Burlington County Democratic Convention at the Rowan College at Burlington County campus in Mount Laurel on Feb. 24. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

By Amy S. Rosenberg, Philadelphia Inquirer

FLEMINGTON, N.J. — Andy Kim looked stunned. Tammy Murphy barely blinked.

It was the second county convention of the weekend, and Kim, a three-term Democratic congressman from Burlington County, was looking to go two for two against Murphy, New Jersey’s first lady, in the bruising primary race for the U.S. Senate seat held by indicted Sen. Bob Menendez.

In New Jersey, each county’s ballot is determined by these conventions — a grouping of all party-endorsed candidates known as “the line” — and can make or break a candidate’s chances in a primary election, this year on June 4. It seriously haunts their dreams and nightmares.

Now, in the heart of hippie horse farm country in central Jersey, Hunterdon County Democratic chair Arlene Quiñones Perez tried a last-minute rule change in a move that would have helped Murphy. Chaos erupted.

“Insane,” Kim told reporters after, still reeling.

Was this your basic weekend in Jersey politics, the state’s mind-blowing political aesthetic on full display? Or was change actually afoot?

“This is what I’ve been speaking out against,” Kim said. “Party elites just trying to make decisions here that can put a thumb on the scale of this election. Seeing it up close and personal, in real time, was something else, honestly.”

Click to read the full story

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Few environmental issues raised as Vineland approves golf course

By John Russo, Press of Atlantic City

Vineland–The city’s Planning Board on Thursday night unanimously gave its final approval to all nine phases of Trout National — The Reserve, a championship golf course coming to the area by the end of next year.

“This is a very exciting project,” said project attorney Michael Fralinger. “For me personally and professionally, to have something like this come to the city of Vineland, I never thought anything like this would happen. … This is just an immensely terrific project for the city.”

During the hour-long meeting, engineers and attorneys asked the board for waivers on a few details, including stormwater basin placement and access. Only two members of the public had questions for Fralinger.

Trout — center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, perennial All-Star, and three-time American League MVP — announced plans for the course off Hance Bridge Road last spring. The 2009 Millville High School graduate and his wife, Jessica, are partnering with local developer John Ruga on the project.

Trout National, which is being built on the site of a former silica sand mine and is surrounded by forest and farmland, is hoping to be open for member play by the end of 2025, Fralinger said. Tiger Woods’ company, TGR Design, is the course’s designer.

The environmental impact was also addressed by a resident, with Fralinger assuring the type of grass used coupled with the stormwater basins and irrigation system in place will allow the course to operate efficiently. Same with the natural perimeter wall being environmentally friendly.

“We haven’t really gotten too much big environmental pushback,” Headley said. “The one person who spoke, that was the first time a couple of those issues came up for us. But overall I think it’s been positive. It sounds like (the golf course will be) pretty good neighbors to the surrounding area and have worked really hard to maintain a good relationship with everyone in that South Vineland area.”

Click to read the full story

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Two major NY offshore wind projects are back on track

A group of four large white wind turbines in the ocean

Block Island Wind Farm near Rhode Island (John Moore/Getty Images)

Energy and Environment News Today

By Maria Galucci, Canary Media

Two major offshore wind farms slated for New York’s waters are back on track after a brutal 2023 threatened to derail the projects — and the emerging industry’s prospects in the U.S.

On Thursday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said the state had selected the 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind project and the 810-megawatt Empire Wind 1 project in its fourth competitive auction for offshore wind contracts. Developers of both projects had secured long-term agreements to deliver clean electricity to the state in 2019. But they opted to replace those contracts and rebid their offshore wind projects in order to secure more favorable terms amid dramatically different economic conditions.

“Offshore wind is foundational to our fight against climate change,” Hochul said in a statement. “These awards demonstrate our national leadership to advance a zero-emissions electric grid at the best value to New Yorkers.”

New York is aiming to build 9,000 megawatts (9 gigawatts) of offshore wind capacity by 2035 — the most ambitious near-term goal in the country, and enough to meet about 30 percent of the state’s total electricity needs. The plan is key to the state’s goal of achieving a carbon-free grid by 2040. Nationwide, the Biden administration has set a goal of installing 30 GW of offshore wind by the end of this decade.

As of February, the United States has installed over 240 megawatts of offshore wind capacity off the coasts of New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia — up from just 42 megawatts a year ago.

However, the offshore wind targets of New York and the nation were all thrown into jeopardy last year after financial hardships and logistical challenges hammered project developers. Supply-chain constraints driven by the pandemic, plus rising material costs, higher interest rates and permitting delays, all made it more expensive and less profitable to develop massive, complex offshore wind projects.

Read the full story here

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Massive wildfire now the largest in Texas history

By Scott Dance, Washington Post

As snow showers moved across the Texas Panhandle on Thursday, easing conditions for firefighters, a wildfire grew into the state’s largest on record, with fears it could again spread rapidly when hot and windy weather returns this weekend.

Smokehouse Creek fire had burned 1,050,000 acres in Texas by early Thursday morning, and it had also spread across 25,000 acres into Oklahoma, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. Another fire, the 687 Reamer fire, had also spread into the footprint of the Smokehouse Creek fire.

The fires killed one person, an 83-year-old woman in the town of Stinnett, Tex., the Associated Press reported.

In Hemphill County, which includes the city of Canadian, there were no reports of anyone unaccounted for, the Canadian Record posted on Facebook, but Texas A&M extension officials shared images on social media of destroyed homes and singed farmland, saying “scores” of homes had been destroyed and thousands of cattle lost there.

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NJ Assemly panel taking up solid waste, lighting and battery bills

The New Jersey Assembly’s Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee will meet at 2 p.m. on Monday, March 4 in the State House Annex, Room 9.

The committee will consider the following :

Bill	Synopsis	Sponsor	Status	LDOA
A2090	Requires each solid waste management district to develop strategy in solid waste management plan to reduce food waste.	Kennedy, James J./Stanley, Sterley S. +5	AEN	1/9/2024
A2196	Requires outdoor lighting fixtures installed or replaced by, or on behalf of State, or at projects receiving State funds, to meet certain criteria.	Drulis, Mitchelle	AEN	1/9/2024
A3875	Requires testing of electrical systems of certain electric bicycles, powered mobility devices, and batteries prior to sale, rental, lease, or other distribution to consumers.	Kennedy, James J.	AEN	2/27/2024
A3876	Revises provisions of “Dry Cell Battery Management Act.”	Kennedy, James J.	AEN	2/27/2024

NJ Assemly panel taking up solid waste, lighting and battery bills Read More »

Derailment in PA sends two locomotives sliding to Lehigh River

Jersey drama every weekend in Andy Kim vs. Tammy Murphy battle

Few environmental issues raised as Vineland approves golf course

Two major NY offshore wind projects are back on track

Massive wildfire now the largest in Texas history

NJ Assemly panel taking up solid waste, lighting and battery bills

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