Week’s top environmental & political news in NJ and PA: Feb 9-13 2009


Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey and Pennsylvania which appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of February 9-13.

New Jersey Politics

Poll shows Corzine struggling for voter approval Gov. Jon Corzine has an upside-down 34%-51% approval rating and gets a grade of D+ on providing property tax relief, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll PolitickerNJ
> Will stimulus package help the governor? In the Lobby







Carla Katz’s in-law pitching book on Corzine Rocco Riccio, a self-described former “street thug,” is trying to publish a book about his one-time friendship with Gov. Corzine, promising to expose details of the governor’s breakup with former labor leader Carla Katz. Riccio, who is married to Katz’s sister Inquirer

‘Doughnut’ towns are just too irresistible A state lawmaker says one way to put property taxes on a diet would be to ditch the “doughnuts” Star-Ledger

New Jersey Environment

Editorial: Reefs and subway cars The Atlantic Ocean is doing what years of debate could not—washing away the delusion that some material dumped off our coast to create artificial reefs is anything but trash AC Press

McGuire Air Force Base gets $3.2M for biofuel project More than 350 “green” jobs could be created in South Jersey with a $3.2M project to produce alternative and renewable energy at McGuire Air Force Base, two South Jersey congressman say AP Press

Editorial: An imperfect but needed cleanup solution A huge backlog of contaminated sites and a relatively small number of DEP case managers to oversee cleanups argue for adoption of Senator Smith’s licensed site professional legislation AC Press

Jackson’s EPA bid has support of many Jersey enviros As Lisa Jackson steps closer to confirmation as chief of the federal Environmental Protection Agency this week, some New Jersey “green” groups are urging the U.S. Senate to separate her record from that of her mentor — Jon Corzine, who they increasingly dub environmentally unfriendly Star-Ledger

NJ Utility Plans Major Solar Project
Public Service Electric and Gas, New Jersey’s largest utility, will seek state approval for a five-year, one-of-a-kind plan to install solar panels on 200,000 utility poles in its service territory, plus schools, municipal buildings, low-income housing and closed garbage dumps New York Times

Corzine endorses Fisher as NJ Agriculture chief South Jersey Assemblyman Doug Fisher has been nominated as the state’s next agriculture secretary — a choice Gov. Jon Corzine endorsed today at NJ’s annual agriculture convention AP

Trump golf course called out of bounds Colt’s Neck’s Environmental Commission says the Planning Board should not allow the Trump Organization to construct a 19th hole in the middle of a conservation easement on its golf course AP Press

Pennsylvania Politics

Rendell says state escaped disaster The dust had not yet settled on the federal stimulus debate when Gov. Rendell said yesterday that Pennsylvania had escaped economic disaster Inquirer

Fumo: ‘I wish I never got elected’ Former Senate powerhouse on the stand for the fourth day at corruption trial Inquirer
> Fumo says he erred on staffer’s work site Inquirer

Salaries of top-paid legislative staffers questioned Facing a $2.3B billion deficit, PA is preparing to cut programs statewide, including possible layoffs, but highest-paid employees in the House of Representatives aren’t feeling the pinch Inquirer

Pennsylvania Environment

Gas drilling spurs major pipeline expansion An expansion of a major Texas-to-New England gas pipeline is being proposed to handle a drilling rush on the Marcellus Shale rock formation in Northeast Pennsylvania Times Tribune

966 homes proposed near Route 230 School Heights Village could become not only become Londonderry Township’s first traditional neighborhood development, but also its largest development , bringing 966 homes and a mix of retail Patriot News Opponents blast plan to reactivate rail line The prospect of a rail line serving a proposed landfill in Rush Twp drew a crowd to an open house Tuesday night, including opponents of both projects Centre Daily

DEP fines Del Monte for wastewater violation Company fined $3,500 for exceeding discharge permit limit last fall PA-DEP

State appeals ruling blocking mercury emissions rules The state DEP has appealed a Commonwealth Court ruling blocking the continued implementation of state regulations that would quickly reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

New funding for small business energy efficiency upgrades The state DEP is making $3 million available on a first-come, first-served basis Lock-Haven Express

Op-Ed: DEP proposal fails to protect our rivers, streams Patriot-News

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The alternative energy industry is DOA…or is it?


How many stories have you read in the last two weeks declaring that the worldwide economic slowdown and credit crunch are combining to strangle the alternative energy industry in its cradle? A prime example is the NY Times piece Dark Days for Green Energy

Well…check out this Atlantic City Press story that EnviroPolitics readers saw in yesterday’s issue…

Vineland, Conectiv plan solar power site
Conectiv Energy plans to build in Vineland a four-megawatt solar power plant that would be twice the size of New Jersey’s largest current solar production site.

Conectiv will partner with the city of Vineland to raise solar panels on 28 acres of land owned by the Landis Sewerage Authority, city and company officials announced Tuesday. The city will lease the land along Route 55 to Conectiv, which will spend more than $20 million to raise the array and then sell electricity back to city customers at a discount of 3 to 5 percent.

“We intend for Vineland to be a leader in the solar area,” said Joe Isabella, director of the Vineland Municipal Electric Utility. Conectiv Chief Financial Officer Art Agra said he expected the first two megawatts worth of solar panels to be online by year’s end and for the second two megawatts to be online by June 1, 2010. All told, the energy produced is expected to be enough to power 400 to 500 homes. Full story here

We’ve also been bombarded by stories declaring that new car sales have all but skidded to a halt. While vehicle manufacturing surely is taking a pummeling, there was this story in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer……

Subaru does it again as sales rise 8 percent for January
OK, Subaru of America Inc. is really starting to make a habit of this. While the rest of the auto industry shows off its January sales wounds, the small Cherry Hill-based automaker once again reported monthly sales that were higher than a year ago.

Subaru today said it sold 12,194 units last month, up 8 percent from the 11,289 units in January 2008.

That sales success follows a 2008 when Subaru was the only automaker to sell more vehicles than it did the year before.

Now the company is small, with only five models: the Legacy, Outback, Impreza, Forester and Tribeca. And its market share is less than 2 percent of the U.S. new vehicle market.

But still, the 41-year-old company deserves some credit. Volkswagen of America Inc., which has a slightly bigger market share, reported its January sales were down 11.6 percent over January 2008. The German automaker sold 12,744 units in the U.S.

(Hyundai, which sells twice the number of vehicles Subaru does in the U.S., also had a good January with sales up 14 percent to 24,512 units.) Full story here

And, finally, while recent earnings and job-loss headlines might have us concluding that all business is failing and everyone’s heading for the unemployment lines, consider these rays of light….

Merck, Schering-Plough top forecasts on cost cuts
Stocks jump following rebound in home sales
Sunoco posts $204M 4Q profit

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The alternative energy industry is DOA…or is it? Read More »

NJ’s Great Power Line Debate: Round 2

In case you’re just joining New Jersey’s big power-line debate, here’s where things stand.

Public Service Electric & Gas, New Jersey’s largest and most politically powerful utility, wants to erect the 500-kv Susquehanna-Roseland electric transmission line between the Delaware Water Gap in Warren County and the town of Roseland in Essex County.

A number of municipalities and residents along the route, joined by a coalition of environmental organizations, oppose the project for various reasons, principally centering on concerns involving property values, health questions and the project’s potential to encourage sprawl and degrade the environment.

Part of the power line would run through the Highlands, an area of the state that the Legislature has put off limits to development because of its perceived environmental sensitivity.

Staff members of the Highlands Council, the state agency riding herd on all development in the area, has reviewed the PSE&G proposal and determined that it is not in compliance with the Highlands Act, the Highlands Regional Master Plan and with NJDEP’s rules governing the Highlands Preservation Area. The staff reported its findings on December 22, 2008.

On January 30, 2009,PSE&G formally responded with comments arguing that the project, as a “utility line upgrade,” need only be consistent with the Highlands Act’s “goals and purposes.”

The utility’s arguments are summarized in a three-page cover letter to the Council from PSE&G’s Director of Environmental Policy and Strategy Donald McCloskey, and detailed in a seven-page legal analysis by Dennis M. Toft, an attorney with the firm of Wolff and Samson.

The arguments no doubt will be scrutinized by project foes and their attorneys. That’s because they provide the legal platform that political leaders can stand on should they decide to grant PSE&G an exemption, allowing the project to move ahead.

That’s the legal side of the fight and it likely will receive its next airing when the Highlands Council meets on February 23.

Big public policy decisions in New Jersey, however, are not made on the basis of legalities alone. So PSE&G, as politically astute a corporation as you’ll find anywhere, also continues to advance its case on the public relations front in a series of paid “advertorials” appearing on the opinion pages of New Jersey’s largest daily newspaper, the Star-Ledger.

These pieces of persuasion are so devilishly masterful, both in design and execution, that they deserve separate attention, which I plan to provide in an upcoming post.

Stay tuned.

MORE:

NJ’s Great Power Line Debate: Round 2 Read More »

Week’s top environmental news in New Jersey and Pennsylvania: Jan. 24-30

Below are just a few of the environmental news stories for New Jersey and Pennsylvania which appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of January 24-30.

New Jersey

State hits tomato grower with $900K fine Calling the violations “the most serious … ever uncovered,” the state DEP y fines a Florida tomato growing company for improperly using pesticides on 17 fields it operates in New Jersey, putting workers and consumers alike in jeopardy Star-Ledger AC Press

Hackensack developer files for Chapter 11 SkyMark Holdings Inc., a Hackensack developer, and its CEO, Robert L’Abbate of Washington Township, have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, apparently victims of the worst real estate market in decades Bergen Record

Deal reached in Passaic River pollution study The federal government will be reimbursed for $600,000 used to study the effects of the lower Passaic River pollution on wildlife under an agreement with 23 companies, officials say Bergen Record

NJ air gets boost from Obama President Obama opened the way Monday for New Jersey, California and other states to impose aggressive limits on greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks Bergen Record
> Editorial: The days of denial are over Bergen Record

NJ pushing for restrictions on diesel trucks at ports The Port Authority could potentially ban the oldest and most toxic diesel trucks from its Newark and Elizabeth seaports, a move scientists say would cut down on 1,000 premature deaths and 68,000 asthma attacks in New Jersey every year Bergen Record

Pennsylvania

PennsylvaniaDEP zeros in on gas tainting water Natural gas invading at least nine water wells in Dimmock Township has been tracked to the Marcellus Shale or a similar formation being tapped by drilling crews working in the area Press and Sun Bulletin

State could take lead in clean coal tech development State government would assume a leading role in developing clean coal technology under legislation unveiled Wednesday with support from the Rendell administration Citizens Voice

Clearfield, other counties removed from drought watch DEP Acting Secretary John Hanger lifts drought watch declaration for 29 counties today in western and north central PA citing improved groundwater and stream-flow levels Gant Daily

Pottstown’s Authority wants feedback on fluoride in water supply Pottstown is one of only nine public water systems in all of southeast Pennsylvania that adds fluoride to its water. A proposal would cut the use in half The Mercury

Editorial: NY should lower levels of Delaware River reservoirs Express-Times

DEP looking out for those ‘bullied’ by developers Low-income property owner who may feel “bullied” by developers – especially potential natural gas drillers – have a friend in Harrisburg The Express


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Subscribers to EnviroPolitics get access to full versions of all the top environmental and political news stories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day. They also are alerted to environmental regulations proposed in Trenton and Harrisburg and are able to track all environmental legislation in both states–from introduction to enactment! See what you’ve been missing. Try a no-obligation, 30-day subscription: Free Trial
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Week’s top environmental news in New Jersey and Pennsylvania: Jan. 24-30 Read More »

Will New Jersey see Licensed Site Professionals?

What’s that loud groaning sound under New Jersey’s Capitol Dome?

No it’s not Governor Corzine’s latest list of budget cuts.

It’s the formerly lean and mean (and now rotund) legislation introduced by the chairmen of the Senate and Assembly environmental committees back in June. The bills offered a creative method for private-sector environmental consultants to help state regulators jump start cleanups for many projects on the state’s embarrassing backlog of 20,000 contaminated sites.

The legislation (S-1897 and A-2962) sought to create Licensed Site Professionals, a group of experienced environmental engineers and others, who would develop remedial plans, supervise cleanups and certify that they were performed in conformance with Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) technical requirements. It was based on a highly successful LSP program that’s been operating in Massachusetts for 15 years.

In its debut hearings, the legislation was met with a howls from environmental groups who envisioned crooked consultants collecting fees from property owners for totally inadequate work.
Sure. New Jersey engineering firms don’t have any ethics or professional pride. And they’re certainly not concerned about opening the Star-Ledger one morning to find that the state DEP has revoked their LSP license for certifying false cleanup reports. That’s great for business–especially in the current economic climate.

Unfortunately, in politics, you can’t simply deal with reality, you have to deal with “perceptions.” So, for the last seven months, the sponsors have been hashing out various amendments with the enviros, with the DEP, and with other affected parties, including industry and consulting organizations.

The result? The original 53-page bill has mushroomed to 130 pages and now, according to insiders, not only are the enviros expressing their usual outrage, but those who stood to benefit most from the original bill–business property owners and environmental consultants–have grievance lists of their own involving new taxes in the bill and the lack of clear direction to LSP’s on how to proceed with cleanups and how to be sure the end has been reached.

Does the bill still have legs? We hope so, as there is no reasonable alternative in sight.

We should all have a better idea about the bill’s future on Monday at 10 a.m. when the Senate Environment Committee takes public testimony (but will not vote) on the latest version of the legislation.

You can follow along, via your computer, by logging on to the Legislature’s website at: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/Default.asp Then select the link that says: “View or listen to live proceedings” and then click on “Senate Environment.”

And be sure to let us know what you think by clicking on the “Comment” line (or box) below.

Will New Jersey see Licensed Site Professionals? Read More »

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