EnviroPolitics Blog

Week’s top environmental news in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & New York: July 13-17, 2009

Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey, Pennsylvania and beyond that appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of July 13-17, 2009.

New Jersey Environment

New Jersey is now a true solar power In just a few years of coordinated efforts, NJ has gone from a non-factor to number two among the states in solar installations. While still far behind California, New Jersey currently generates about twice as many solar kilowatt hours as number three Colorado NJ Newsroom

Group looks to restore shellfish in Barnegat Bay A half-century ago, wild oysters grew reliably in the Toms River, in such numbers that Henry Althouse remembers his father, Chester, gathering the seed shellfish and planting them on leased beds in Barnegat Bay AP Press

More tests urged for state’s public bathing areas New Jersey has outdated public recreation bathing rules that do not allow for testing of water off many of its beaches, subjecting unsuspecting swimmers to serious health risks, a group of environmental activists said yesterday Star-Ledger

A year of groundbreaking legislation Builders cheer a ‘sea change’ in development process, but still await answers on critical issues NJBIZ

Port Authority gets $11.6M for clean air plan The bistate agency receives two grants from the U.S. EPA totaling $9.8M and another $1.8M grant from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority to implement the first part of a Comprehensive Clean Air Strategy for the port AP Press

New Jersey Politics

Millionaire governor seeks to raise $15M for campaign Of all the gloomy economic indicators since the Wall Street collapse, perhaps the most startling one seen by New Jersey residents is this: Gov. Jon Corzine with his hand out NY Times

Christie releases video welcoming Obama Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie posted a YouTube video welcoming Obama to the Garden State and taking shots at Corzine’s leadership Star-Ledger

Trump backs his apprentice for Lieutenant Governor The Donald says a former winner of his TV reality show would do “fantastically” as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor AP

Anticipating a win, GOP boosts Christie As Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine prepares to showcase his support from President Obama in a big rally planned for Thursday, Republicans are using their own bold-faced names to draw attention to challenger Chris Christie

Star-Ledger

Congressman Payne faces ethics probe The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) has recommended that the House Select Committee on Ethical Standards launch an investigation into two privately funded Caribbean trips by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark) and four others PolitickerNJ

Trail to governor’s office turns green The campaign trail has turned green in the New Jersey governor’s race as candidates try to outdo one another in their devotion to windmills and solar panels Inquirer

Pennsylvania Environment

Casino fined for wetlands violation Philadelphia Park violated the Pennsylvania Clean Streams law when it entered protected wetlands to remove trees that blocked views of the new Parx Casino, the state has ruled Courier Times

Merck plans solar-energy system in Upper Gwynedd The Commonwealth Financing Authority approves a $1 million grant to support the pharmaceutical company’s plans for a $11.3 million, 1.6mw system that is expected to cover 22 percent of the facility’s electric needs PhillyInc

New charges filed against recycler that worked with area charities EarthEcycle, the company that ran a free electronics recycling program for the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society and other area charitable organizations earlier this year, is charged with dumping electronic waste in South Africa Post-Gazette

First Lackawanna County gas drilling permit issued Exco-North Coast Energy Resources Inc. received the permit from the state DEP to drill two sites in Greenfield Twp. But the company isn’t sure when it will begin building a drill pad to tap into the natural-gas-rich shale a mile below the surface Scranton Times-Tribune

DEP orders NY company to halt drilling An oil and gas developer cited for more than 300 violations of state environmental regulations in Warren and McKean counties is ordered to stop drilling Times Observer

Pennsylvania Politics

Did Fumo get what he deserved? It’s a hung jury The 12 jurors and three alternates who found Vince Fumo guilty on all 137 counts of fraud, obstruction of justice and related tax offenses split on the question of what he deserved Daily News

Sources: Fumo rejected Fed plea deal, ended up with less time Daily News

Fumo sentencing is a scene of high drama He walked into the courtroom pushing the wheelchair of a political ally Inquirer

Rendell takes budget battle to the Internet The state budget battle is now being waged on YouTube Inquirer

Houses Republicans unveil new budget proposal; Rendell reacts The Eye Opener

New York/Nation/World

Cuomo fundraising a gubernatorial tip-off? Journal News

Senate completes no business as usual Buffalo News Joseph Bruno’s war chest helps legal fees Daily NewsNY investigates river’s fish die-off New York State is running tests to determine the cause of a fish die-off in a river that flows into New Jersey Newsday Natural gas production drops in New York recordonline Study suggests much larger wind energy potential

Green, Inc. – New York Times Horseshoe crabs pile up for night of whoopee NPR Nuclear plant owner promises plan to fix fund shortfall The Post Standard Asian demand drives Rhino poaching

Driven by Asian demand for rhinoceros horns, worldwide poaching of these endangered animals is at a 15-year high, new conservation research reveals. At least 162 rhinos were illegally killed in 2008 and another 62 have been poached during the first six months of 2009 ENS Largest green-power program stumbles Austin Energy, which offers homeowners and businesses the chance to power their homes with renewable energy (mainly wind) through its Green Choice Program, has signed up only 1 percent of its hoped-for customers for its latest wind power offering NYT ———————————————————————-

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Week’s top environmental news in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & New York: July 13-17, 2009 Read More »

PA’s budget fix: Drop college and tuition funding?

Pennsylvania legislators are so terrified by the prospect of raising taxes that they’re actually preparing to vote tomorrow on a new state budget that contains no funding for some universities and student loan programs.

Will Joe Paterno be flipping burgers this fall instead of prowling the sidelines? No, the educational funding cuts will not affect the four state-related universities – Penn State, Temple, Pittsburgh, and Lincoln – because their money comes from an annual appropriation outside the general fund.

But if you’re a student at West Chester or Cheney State universities or at any of Pennsylvania’s state community colleges–or a recipient of a state tuition loan, well…fries with that sir?

The brain trust in the Democratic House has proposed removing the educational funding from the budget but replacing it, at some future date, with a “dedicated funding source,” possibly the state’s take from video poker or some other scheme yet to be devised.

In other words, some other revenue source that doesn’t start with T and rhyme with ax.

Governor Rendell calls the proposal: ““exactly the kind of bold and creative thinking we need to solve big challenges.”

Even guys as smart as Ed Rendell say some pretty silly things when their state budget is already two weeks late and, unless signed tomorrow, will cause more than 33,000 angry state workers to receive only part of their usual paycheck.

Our most recent blog posts:
Who will the enviros endorse for NJ governor?
New York plans U.S.’s largest offshore wind farm
Senator Smith saves recycling — in New Jersey
Pave the fairways, put up a solar farm
Analyzing the cap-and-trade vote in Pennsylvania

——————————————————————————–
Get EnviroPolitics for the top environmental and political news
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day.
PLUS: Proposed environmental regulation alerts
PLUS: Full tracking of environmental legislation
Get EnviroPolitics free, without obligation, for 30 days!

PA’s budget fix: Drop college and tuition funding? Read More »

EPA wants hardrock mining’s financial assurance

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday announced it had identified the hardrock mining industry as its priority for financial assurance rules to ensure that the owners and operators of such, not taxpayers, foot the bill for environmental cleanups.

The announcement preceeds the development of a EPA rules under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly called “Superfund.”

EPA plans to propose the rule by spring of 2011.

The priority notice identifying hardrock mining also satisfies a court order issued by the United States District Court.

In its announcement, EPA noted that, since the enactment of the Superfund law in 1980, the federal government has spent billions of dollars to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. EPA said it decided to develop financial responsibility requirements for classes of facilities within the hardrock mining industry first because of

“those facilities’ sheer size; the enormous quantities of waste and other materials exposed to the environment; the wide range of hazardous substances released to the environment; the number of active hardrock mining facilities; the extent of environmental contamination, including the number of sites identified by EPA as needing cleanup under Superfund’s National Priorities List; and government expenditures, projected clean-up costs, and corporate structure and bankruptcy potential. “

The agency clarified that hardrock mining facilities include those that extract, beneficiate and process metals (e.g., copper, gold, iron, lead, magnesium, molybdenum, silver, uranium, and zinc) and non-metallic, non-fuel minerals (e.g., asbestos, gypsum, phosphate rock, and sulfur).

Coal mining facilities are not hardrock mining facilities and are not included in EPA’s priority notice.

The agency says it plans to examine other industries outside of the hardrock mining industry “that also may warrant the development of financial responsibility requirements under Superfund by the end of the year.”

At a minimum, the agency said it would be looking at:

hazardous waste generators,

hazardous waste recyclers

metal finishers

wood treatment facilities, and

chemical manufacturers.

EPA said it is scheduled to publish the notice addressing additional classes of facilities by December 2009. At that time, the agency will solicit public comment.

Our most recent blog posts:
Who will the enviros endorse for NJ governor?
New York plans U.S.’s largest offshore wind farm
Senator Smith saves recycling — in New Jersey
Pave the fairways, put up a solar farm
Analyzing the cap-and-trade vote in Pennsylvania

——————————————————————————–
Get EnviroPolitics for the top environmental and political news
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day.
PLUS: Proposed environmental regulation alerts
PLUS: Full tracking of environmental legislation
Get EnviroPolitics free, without obligation, for 30 days!

EPA wants hardrock mining’s financial assurance Read More »

Who will the enviros endorse for NJ governor?

Who will New Jersey’s environmental organizations endorse for governor in the November election? It’s an interesting questions…and an important one for at
least three reasons.

#1 – “The environment” will continue to rank high among issues of importance to New Jersey voters–even though the economy and jobs probably outdistance it today.

#2 – It likely will be a tight race between the two major party candidates –Democrat Jon Corzine, the current governor who’s seeking a second term–and Republican Chris Christie, the state’s former U.S. Attorney. So close that winning the endorsement of major enviro-groups could make the difference.

#3 – This year’s race includes a serious independent candidate–former state DEP Commissioner Chris Daggett–who has bona fide environmental and political creds (no wacko Lyndon LaRouche or Green Party no-name here).

Daggett also has the potential to raise enough money to influence the outcome of the race. Who knows, although unlikely, he could even win it depending on how fed up voters are with government-as-we-know-it.

One of the state’s enviro-powerhouses, the Sierra Club, has been slamming the governor in recent months for what they see as his lack of follow-through on green issues and dogging him at such press events as the groundbreaking for a new Hudson River rail tunnel and the announcement of a Garden State Parkway expansion.

The media-savvy organization has made a point of getting their negative press releases into the hands (and the resulting stories) of reporters covering Corzine’s “good news” events. The tactic has served to boost the Sierra Club’s visibility, and remind the governor of how much more damage the activists could inflict as his campaign unfolds.

Does this mean the Sierra Club won’t support Corzine’s re-election? Could the group, which often appears to be little more than a Democratic party adjunct, actually endorse the (gasp) Republican candidate, Mr. Christie?

In a piece in today’s PolitickerNJ, Matt Friedman reports that Sierra Club executive director Jeff Tittel ” has said nice things about Christie’s record on environmental law enforcement as U.S. Attorney, though his Republican primary rhetoric on cutting the jobs at the DEP could prove problematic.”

Those with longer memories will recall that the Sierra Club also was saying nice things about GOP candidate Doug Forrester four years ago during Corzine’s first campaign for governor.

Of course, it was just a tactic, a way to get Corzine to pay attention (and perhaps make promises) to the Sierrans in return for their support.

The same scare tactic is at work this time around. The only difference this time is Daggett’s emergence as a viable candidate. Yesterday, he announced that his campaign had raised enough money to qualify for matching state funds. If the accounting holds up, he’ll qualify for at least $1 million and also will be guaranteed participation in at least two gubernatorial debates.

So, if we’re to believe all of the Sierra Club’s criticisms about the Democratic governor’s shortcomings, and dismiss their sudden coziness with Republican Christie as the mere posturing that it is,
and believe that their sole interest is the environment, then we can expect they’ll be endorsing Mr. Daggett, a proven environmental advocate. Right?

We’ll, maybe. But remember: like other political “players,” above whom the enviros like to place themselves, they also desire to back the winner and lay claim to some stake of power when he assumes
(or re-asssumes) control.

We’ll keep watch on the Sierra Club and other enviro groups and let you know when they announce their endorsements. In the meanwhile, we invite your views. Use the comment box below. If you don’t see one, click on the tiny ‘comment’ line and one should appear.

Our most recent blog posts:
New York plans U.S.’s largest offshore wind farm
Senator Smith saves recycling — in New Jersey
Pave the fairways, put up a solar farm
Analyzing the cap-and-trade vote in Pennsylvania ——————————————————————————–
Get EnviroPolitics for the top environmental and political news
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day.
PLUS: Proposed environmental regulation alerts
PLUS: Full tracking of environmental legislation
Get EnviroPolitics free, without obligation, for 30 days!

Who will the enviros endorse for NJ governor? Read More »

NJ Governor’s race picks up (renewable) energy

Any Republican candidate who wants a realistic shot at becoming governor in New Jersey has to learn to speak like Rush Limbaugh in the primary and Barack Obama in the general election.

No doubt to the chagrin of those managing Democratic Governor Jon Corzine’s campaign (and conservative Republicans as well) Chris Christie is proving to be a quick learner.

The former federal prosecutor won the Republican primary by appealing to the party’s conservative faction (a requirement since those motivated folks always show up in strong numbers at the polls regardless of the weather).

Yesterday, he came roaring out of the summer campaign starting gate with a television ad designed to appeal to the majority of New Jersey voters who are moderate-to-liberal on most social issues but just shy of California-nuts-and-berries-liberal on the environment.

The ad (below) contains plenty of pictures of gleaming solar panels and whirling wind turbines and even a picture of the President, yes, that president, the liberal Democrat guy. The ad’s star is a very earnest-looking candidate Christie who says he agrees with the president on the importance of renewable energy and promises to be New Jersey’s Number 1 renewable energy activist. Wow! A closet greenie all along. Who would have guessed.

The Corzine camp was quick to respond, sending around a YouTube video of Christie, during the Republican primary, telling an appreciative crowd that they could expect lots of battles with the DEP and the EPA when he moves into the governor’s mansion.

I guess Christie’s neo-con backers never imagined their candidate could have meant he’d be “battling” for even greener programs than his opponent.

But, hey, that was then and this is now. Sticking with Rush-speak from now to November wins you nothing but a consolation trip to Disney World.

Our most recent blog posts:
New York plans U.S.’s largest offshore wind farm
Senator Smith saves recycling — in New Jersey
Pave the fairways, put up a solar farm
Analyzing the cap-and-trade vote in Pennsylvania

NJ Governor’s race picks up (renewable) energy Read More »

New York plans U.S.’s largest offshore wind farm

New York government agencies and power companies said on Wednesday they are gauging interest from developers and manufacturers about building a wind farm about 13 miles off the New York city coast that could end up being the largest such project in the United States.

Reuters reports that:

The Long Island Power Authority, the New York Power Authority, other agencies and Consolidated Edison Inc hope to build the 350 megawatt wind farm off the Rockaway Peninsula in the Atlantic.Potentially, the project could be expanded to 700 MW, giving it a shot of being the biggest U.S. offshore wind farm. One megawatt powers about 1,000 homes in New York, but wind does not blow all of the time.Taking stock of the interest of developers is a precursor to issuing a request for proposal for the project which is anticipated for release by the end of the year, the collaboration said.”There clearly is growing interest in this proposal by many parties,” Kevin Burke, chairman and CEO of Con Edison, said in a release.

It’s not the first time that the LIPA has been involved in an offshore wind-power venture.

The authority formerly proposed the construction of a 40-turbine wind farm that would have produced 140 MW of energy off the shore of Jones Beach on the south shore of Long Island.

LIPA’s initially estimated the project’s cost to be between $150 million and $200 million. But it did not disclose actual costs until Newsday filed a Freedom of Information Law in 2007.

Initially, LIPA denied the request, but on appeal it provided limited and outdated information disclosing that winning bid for the project in 2003 was $356 million. Newsday later reported that the cost had ballooned to $650 million.

By the time the project was canceled in 2007 by red-faced LIPA officials, the authority was admitting to a total cost just shy of $700 million.

Our most recent posts:
Senator Smith saves recycling — in New Jersey
Pave the fairways, put up a solar farm
Analyzing the cap-and-trade vote in Pennsylvania
Solar advocates urge veto of NJ union wage bill
Jersey Republicans key to climate bill passage

——————————————————————————–
Get EnviroPolitics for the top environmental and political news
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day.
PLUS: Proposed environmental regulation alerts
PLUS: Full tracking of environmental legislation
Get EnviroPolitics free, without obligation, for 30 days!

New York plans U.S.’s largest offshore wind farm Read More »