EnviroPolitics Blog

Week’s top New Jersey environmental news – November 24-28, 2008

Below are just a few of the environmental news stories for New Jersey appearing in EnviroPolitics during the week of November
24-28, 2008

New Jersey Environmental News

A net gain for the birds Just as New Jersey Turnpike rest stops provide respite for people during trips along the East Coast, dormant landfills in the NJ Meadowlands play an equally crucial role for migrating birds, new research indicates Bergen Record“

Rivers too cold for dolphins? The water in the Navesink and
Shrewsbury rivers is too cold for the dozen bottlenose dolphins that have resided there since June, says a marine mammal advocate AP Press

N.J.’s agriculture secretary leaving amid discord Budget pressure, coupled with controversy over a law that limits the land-development rights of North Jersey farmers, became so intense that some members of the state Agriculture Board demanded that State Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus resign. Last month, Kuperus agreed and will leave at year’s end Inquirer

Renewable energy hits a snag Despite their penchant for saving money in the long run, renewable energy projects may face a slump during the economic downturn because of their high upfront costs Bergen Record

Editorial: A better way to clean up old industrial sites New Jersey is notorious for the sky-high number of former industrial sites that dot and dirty its commercial landscape, especially in the cities Courier News

A dream deferred in Galloway Ralph Pappas can finally move into his dream house. A state Appellate Court ruling marks the end of a 17-year fight between Pappas and the state Pinelands Commission AC Press

For Garden State, going green seen as a natural From a dealer selling 100-percent electric, zero emissions, low-speed vehicles, to manufactures of eco-friendly office furniture, to PSE&G promoting green energy programs, more green vendors than ever are trying to sell to municipal officials Bergen Record

Editorial: Shady path to a park? Overpeck County Park will be a great asset to the Meadowlands area. But, with its mob connections and sketchy oversight, will it be healthy? B. Record

Falling value shatters glass recycling
As prices for recycled glass fell and the
cost of fuel for transporting it increased,
it has started to cost more to move recycled
glass than it is worth Story

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New Jersey beach lesson: Sue first, negotiate later

That’s the lesson some New Jersey shore communities may take away from the latest chapter in the state’s carrot-and-stick campaign to make all its beaches…and waterfronts…and some bathrooms, too, accessible to rich and poor alike.

Back in August, we provided our own view on the issue. So, you should first read: New Jersey’s epic beach-access battle, then hurry back and we’ll pick up the latest development in the story…

Caught up? OK.

Since August, some communities have agreed to DEP’s terms in return for guaranteed sand deliveries for their eroding beaches. Some replenishment projects have moved forward but a lot more was left undone. Some towns (and homeowners) were still negotiating or holding out.

Last week, the saga took a dramatic turn when a court, responding to a case brought by the town of Avalon, blocked the DEP regulations after deciding that the state had overreached its authority.

It was a big win for municipalities who didn’t cave in to the state’s demands for public bathrooms and public parking and 24-hour beach access. And it may prove to be a bitter lesson for those that did sign agreements with the DEP, because they still may be legally bound by them.

A DEP spokespersons said the Department doesn’t know for sure, but their lawyers are consulting with the Attorney General’s office and should have a position on the question soon.

MORE:
Decision on Cape beach access leaves sand plans in limbo
Editorial: 24-hour beach access / DEP overreached
NJ Court Throws Out Beach-Access Rules

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Enviro-friendly projects may have funding edge

Anthony Sblendorio, chief executive officer of Ecological Development LLC, at a site in Basking Ridge, NJ, where his company plans to build 12 eco-friendly homes and include some existing agriculture in the development. [Photo: Steven J. Dundas]

As the credit crunch makes it harder than ever to obtain financing from lenders, some real estate players say an environmentally friendly portfolio may offer builders an advantage in securing funds to develop new projects.

That’s the theme of a story appearing in today’s online edition of NJBIZ.

“In general, financing anything is really difficult, given the credit crunch,” said Robert Politzer, president of Greenstreet Construction Inc., a New York-based builder with a New Jersey office in Princeton. But given the growing popularity of green building, developers who do not have green projects are at a competitive disadvantage, he said. “It would be easier these days to interest a potential funding group, whether a bank or private equity, in building a state-of-the-art green building than a conventional building project.”

Because of the benefits of green building, such as energy efficiency and reduced operating and maintenance costs, “you’re going to see increased tenant demand,” said Jim Lutz, senior vice president of development at Liberty Property Trust, a Malvern, Pa.-based commercial real estate developer that recently completed its first LEED-certified New Jersey project in Mount Laurel. LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, establishes criteria for the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings under the U.S. Green Building Council.

Higher demand means higher occupancy rates at green buildings as compared to conventional buildings, so “a lender who’s concerned with making sure that the loan gets paid back is going to see it as a less-risky investment,” Lutz said.

To read the entire story, click here.

To add your views, click on the ‘comment’ line below in the tiny type.

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This is just one of the regional environmental stories that will be available in today’s EnviroPolitics. Readers of our daily, online newsletter also receive notice and copies of environmental regulations proposed in Trenton and Harrisburg, and can follow all environmental legislation in both states–from introduction to enactment. See what you’ve been missing. Try a no-obligation,
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Week’s top environmental news in NJ & PA

Below are just a few of the environmental news stories for
New Jersey and Pennsylvania appearing in EnviroPolitics
during the week of Nov. 17-21.

New Jersey Environmental News

Assistant promoted to top spot at the NJ DEP Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday appointed Mark Mauriello to head the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Star-Ledger

Passaic River dioxin cleanup ahead Dredging cancer-causing dioxin out of the most polluted portion of the Passaic River in NJ won’t begin until 2010, EPA officials say. That puts the first phase of the complex $80M cleanup project on schedule for a summer 2011 completion Bergen Record

17 towns approve pact on Highlands Seventeen towns in the Highlands have passed resolutions stating they plan to follow the Highlands regional master plan, a set of policies that would restrict new development in their communities Star-Ledger

Security funds boosted for N.J. chemical plants New Jersey and neighboring states will soon get more than $237M in federal funds for passenger and freight rail, port, bus and infrastructure security, NJ’s U.S. senators say Bergen Record

Appeals court limits state beach regulation New Jersey’s Environmental Protection Department overstepped its bounds in managing beaches, an appeals court rules NJ.com AP

Power line plan cuts into fragile Highlands PSE&G seeks exemption for $650M project Star-Ledger

Measure to lift licenses of med waste dumpers Legislation to strip licenses from medical professionals and medical waste-handling companies found guilty of violating the state’s medical waste anti-dumping laws clears General Assembly Star-Ledger

Studies cite lead contamination in deer With deer hunting season gets under way, two studies conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the North Dakota Department of Health warn about the dangers of eating hunted meat due to lead from shot and bullets AC Press

Pennsylvania Environmental News

Compromise to be offered on logging It the only good tree a dead tree? That’s become a fiery question for the managers of the 1,105-acre Governor Dick Park on the Lancaster-Lebanon line near Mount Gretna Lancaster New Era

EPA to test 800 wells for lead The federal agency plans to test residential wells in North Whitehall Township for possible lead contamination, officials announced to about 70 residents at board of supervisors meeting Morning Call

Angry residents pack PPL info session on power line “We’re willing to work, but we haven’t heard anything interesting, yet”, said Bill Hopkins, a Saw Creek resident representing several hundred upset fellow homeowners Pocono News

Professor: Don’t deter drilling To hear John Baen describe it, Pennsylvania is like an awkward, naïve suitor, dithering over the details so much that it’s stumbling on the walk to the front door and turning off its date: natural gas drillers Times Leader

Experts: Marcellus Shale will impact entire state The natural-gas producing Marcellus Shale will have a massive effect on nearly every county in Pennsylvania, becoming a vital contributor to the economy that will affect other industries, experts agree Citizens Voice

Drilling companies bemoan regulations Oil and gas industry executives will testify alongside government officials today on the future of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale natural gas field, the potentially lucrative and largely untapped reservoir of fuel that lies a mile or more beneath the Appalachian topsoil Post-Gazette Pocono News

Engineering firm faults plant plans A multimillion-dollar plan to upgrade Harrisburg’s massive wastewater treatment plant to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay has been caught up in a political push and pull Patriot-News

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The stories above are just a few of those that appeared last week in EnviroPolitics. Our readers also receive notice and copies of environmental regulations proposed in Trenton and Harrisburg and get to monitor 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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NJ or PA woman to lead Obama’s EPA ?

The national rumor mill says two of the candidates on President-elect Barack Obama’s short list to run the Environmental Protection Agency are New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson (pictured at left) and the woman who, until recently, held the same post in Pennsylvania–Kathleen McGinty (below left).

Also said to be under consideration for the post once held by another New Jersey woman — former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman– are Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and California Democrat Mary D. Nichols. The latter is chairwoman of her state’s Air Resources Board. She also
held a high-level position at the EPA during in the Clinton administration.

Even a few men have made the list of possibles to run the agency. One of them is Ian Bowles, left, who oversees the Massachusetts’ Energy and Environmental Affairs agency.

Another is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, the New York enviro/activist lawyer who serves as “Chief Prosecuting Attorney” for Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to “protecting the Hudson River, its tributaries and the watershed of New York City.” Kennedy maintains a personal website that has all the earmarks of someone who’s running for something other than obscurity.

MORE:
Bowles said to be on Obama’s list to oversee EPA
California official reportedly a candidate for top EPA post
NRG Energy Appoints Kathleen McGinty to Board of Directors

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NJ’s Energy Plan and Light Rail Success

Somewhat overlooked amidst all the talk about offshore wind farms and renewable energy goals in New Jersey’s recently unveiled Energy Master Plan
is one of its truly ambitious components: a plan to conduct energy audits of some 3.7 million buildings (3.2 million of them residential) by 2020.

The idea is to pinpoint energy inefficiencies and implement conservation measures that will pay for themselves in energy cost savings over time.

NJBIZ asked Lance Miller, chief of policy and planning at the state Board of Public Utilities, where the money and manpower for such
a massive audit program might be found. You’ll find his answers and comments from likely utility partners in Details on State’s Power Plan Still Unplugged.

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In the latest installment of its interesting Future Facts series, the smart-growth planning organization, New Jersey Future, discusses how the Hudson Bergen Light Rail Line, has proven to be a catalyst for economic development in the communities it serves.

The Voorhees Transportation Center, an arm of the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, conducted a study of five stations on the Hudson Bergen Line and found that a housing boom around those stations had added more than $5 billion in property value to the local tax base.

You can read the entire (but nice and short) piece here.

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