Week’s top environmental & political news

Some of the top environmental and political news stories for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond appearing in EnviroPolitics from February 19 – 22, 2008

New Jersey Environmental News

New Jersey polluters cut emissions Factories, power plants and other polluters cut their emissions of lead, mercury and other hazardous chemicals by 10 percent in 2006, the EPA reports. PSEG’s switch to a cleaner-burning coal at its Jersey City power plant had the greatest impact Bergen Record

Alec Baldwin to nuke critics: Don’t let Corzine off hook “Exelon makes $150 million in profit at that plant (Oyster Creek in Lacey). I don’t think they’ll close it down if they have to build cooling towers,” the actor tells audience at a forum Wednesday night. Exelon’s response: the towers aren’t necessary and could cause environmental problems Gannett

PSEG has big plans for Power profit Expecting to generate between $2 billion and $2.5 billion in excess cash during the next three years, the Newark-based energy company is considering investments in conservation, alternative energy, and maybe a new nuclear plant in South Jersey Star-Ledger

Feral cat colonies pose risk to endangered birds, funds The cats vs. birds struggle in the Victorian seaside resort of Cape May has come down to the carrot vs. the stick AP Press

Trenton rallies behind a bird A migratory shorebird threatened with extinction may soon get a reprieve from New Jersey Bergen Record Gannett

New Jersey Political News

Creamed in the polls, Corzine considers Plan B If there is one thing Jon Corzine learned as chief executive of Goldman Sachs, it is how to count. Yesterday he acknowledged the cold, hard numbers confronting his grand plan to fix state finances through higher tolls: There simply aren’t enough lawmakers willing to vote for it Star-Ledger Bergen Record Gannett Cartoon

Running ’em out of state … on a poll New Jerseyans are generally dissatisfied with Corzine, Lautenberg, Menendez and state legislators, too, according to new poll data Star-Ledger

Corzine’s approvals plummet on tolls Gov. Jon Corzine has an upside-down approval rating of 37%-52%, down from 46%–43% in December, and 73% of voters oppose his plan to raise tolls, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll PolitickerNJ

The ax hovers over most of state budget Gov. Jon Corzine is considering making more high-income residents ineligible for tax rebates, closing some state parks, reducing hours at motor vehicle offices and slicing aid to colleges, hospitals and towns, according to administration and legislative officials familiar with his plans for a no-frills state budget Star-Ledger

Christie faces a grilling over Ashcroft role A congressional committee has called for New Jersey’s U.S. attorney, Christopher Christie, to testify at a hearing next week about his appointment of former Attorney General John Ashcroft to a lucrative assignment as a corporate monitor Star-Ledger

Pennsylvania Environmental News

Rendell: Record oil costs show need for energy independence After consecutive record-setting days where oil futures closed above $100 per barrel, and with expectations that oil-cartel nations will cut production in coming weeks, the governor says Pennsylvania should be investing in homegrown alternatives Gant Daily

‘Unfunded mandate’: Senators focus on $1 billion price tag for upgrades It may be hard to imagine that a body of water that does not border Pennsylvania could cost the commonwealth more than $1 billion Lewistown Sentinel

‘Nobody free pass’ on Chesapeake Bay mandate There was no silver lining in comments Wednesday by state DEP Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty about the potential $1 billion impact of a federal mandate to clean up the water flowing from PA into the Chesapeake Bay Sun Gazette

Hearings set on costs of Chesapeake Bay cleanup Lawmakers in Harrisburg will try to figure out this week how to keep municipalities from being bankrupted by the cost of cleaning up the bay Lancasteronline

Army Corps nixes dam on Susquehanna River The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced this week that it’s denying a permit for an inflatable dam to be built across the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre Morning Call

Pennsylvania Political News

Street jury says it is deadlocked on 7 charges After two full days of deliberations, the federal jury considering fraud and tax charges against T. Milton Street Sr. announced yesterday that it was deadlocked on seven charges Inquirer

Liquor reform on the rocks? Former Gov. Dick Thornburgh has two words for the backers of the latest bill to dismantle the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board: “Keep plugging” Patriot News

Fumo back surgery spurs rumors he might quit race Daily News

21 state lawmakers plan to retire this year Ask state Sen. Gerald LaValle if his support for the legislative pay raises in 2005 is the reason he’s retiring from the Legislature this year and you’ll get a blunt answer Post-Gazette

New York/Region/World

The parks, he knows. The trees, don’t ask NY Times
Funds in doubt for new Tappan Zee Bridge LoHud.com
Bruno chases cold cash in warm weather Times Union
Utility, state settle case over coal plant Post-Standard
Condos next in Catskill factory do-over Times Union
State grows Adirondack preserve Times Union
Mayor, council may spar over E-recycling New York Sun

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DE’s wind-power debate has implications for NJ

This post was updated on Februray 20.

The battle over a proposed 150-turbine windfarm off Delaware’s Rehoboth Beach intensified Saturday as the president of Delmarva Power published an op-ed letter in the Wilmington News Journal attacking Bluewater Wind project as too costly.

The outcome of the debate has implications for New Jersey which also is preparing to consider proposals for ocean wind farms. Neighboring Pennsylvania is ahead of both states in wind-energy development.

“Fifty million dollars to $70 million per year for 25 years — well over a billion dollars — this is what is at stake in this critical issue for our customers, ” wrote Gary Stockbridge.

The Delmarva executive said his company is seeking proposals from 20 regional wind energy developers and expects those bids will be some $50 million less, per year, than Bluewater Wind’s offshore proposal.

“There is only one reason to rush into a 25-year contract for $5.6 billion that will not even start for five years, ” he wrote, “a fear that the alternatives will present a far more attractive proposal.”

Stockbridge contends that Delaware has explored only a single renewable solution–the Bluewater Wind offshore proposal.

The Bluewater project also is the subject of a new round of hearings in the Delaware State Senate which are expected to run through early March.
More than 100 attended a hearing on February 7 at which Delaware Audubon Society Conservation Chairman Nicholas A. DiPasquale accused committee chairman Harris B. McDowell, III of “trying to derail the offshore wind energy project” and open a debate over green energy alternatives, such as cheaper land-based wind turbines.
But the meeting also attracted critics of the wind-power project, including University  of Delaware Engineering Professor Charles Boncelet who testified that offshore wind turbines would still require conventional fuel backup and would drive up consumer costs.
The Delaware debate is no doubt being monitored by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine’s administration which also has expressed an interest in offshore wind projects. The pace of that development has been slower in the Garden State primarily because the NJ Board of Public Utilities wants to get a handle on the financial nuances of such a project and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection is commissioning studies, in advance of public debate, to address the inevitable questions about the effects of wind turbine operations on birds and ocean life.
In Pennsylvania, Governor Rendell saw the advantages of wind energy early in his first term of office. He helped woo Gamesa Corp., a major Spanish wind turbine manufacturer, to the Commonwealth where it’s building a manufacturing plant for wind turbine generator blades in Ebensburg, Cambria County. That project will involve up to 500 construction jobs and create more than 200 permanent manufacturing positions.
Gamesa also has decided to locate its U.S. headquarters and East Coast development in Philadelphia. In all, the facilities will combine for a $40 million investment in the state.
Gamesa has worked out 600 megawatts’ worth of agreements to sell wind-generated power to Pennsylvania utilities, with a goal of reaching 1,000 megawatts, enough to power more than 300,000 homes.
Numerous on-land wind farms built across Pennsylvania in recent years with state funding incentives already account for a total of 129 megawatts, with another 84 megawatts scheduled to come on line within the next year.

Care to share your views on the Delaware debate or any other aspect of wind energy? Just click on the “comment” line below and have at it!

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Big alternative energy vote ahead in PA

Ready for a floor vote when Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives reconvenes next month is Special Session HB 1 .

The measure, considered the cornerstone of Governor Ed Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy, allocates $850 million in bond funding to the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and the Commonwealth Financing Agency to support research, development and deployment of various alternative energy projects and technologies.

The bill provides rebates for consumers who purchase of energy-efficient appliances and also funds a rebate and grant program to encourage the use of solar energy.

The legislation also authorizes grants and loans for alternative energy projects, alternative fuels, demand-side management and energy-efficient measures.

Specific earmarks include $30 million for facilities manufacturing wind turbines and other energy components, and $25 million for pollution control technology projects at certain coal-burning electric-generating and cogeneration facilities.

More at: House adds more to ‘green’ energy bill

Big alternative energy vote ahead in PA Read More »

NY and CT face off over LNG terminal

A decision is expected this week from New York’s Department of State on Shell’s proposal to build a floating liquified natural gas terminal nine miles off the coast of Long Island.

If the Broadwater project is approved, Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumentahal promises legal action that could drag on for years.

As an alternative, he has been recommending ExxonMobil’s BlueOcean Energy, a $1 billion floating LNG terminal proposed for construction 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey.

Blumenthal says that, in addition to being invisible from land, BlueOcean Energy would be located in an area where “there’s already a great deal of dumping of garbage,” rather than an area that has been classified as an estuary of national importance—the (Long Island) Sound.”

He also argues that BlueOcean Energy would be a less tempting target for terrorists.“No one’s going to blow up a terminal 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey, but would be delighted to strike a terminal 9 miles away from two of the most densely populated areas in the region,” he said.

The Fairfield Weekly’s Daniel D’Ambrosio explores both sides of the controversy.

For a more opinionated view of the Broadwater project, check out:
Is the Sound up for sale? It’s the latest blog posting on the subject from Denise Civiletti, the Co-publisher and Executive Editor of Times/Review Newspapers Corp. which publishes “four award-winning community newspapers” on the East End of Long Island.

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DEP takes hit in PA Governor’s new budget

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell introduced a $28.3 billion state budget proposal Tuesday that proposes significant spending boosts for education and health care without the need for new taxes. He said his plan includes tax rebates to help poor residents and stimulate the economy.

Like last year, Rendell is calling for new state investments in alternative energy programs, facilities and equipment.

The Patriot-News reports that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ budget will stay roughly the same as last year–at $116 million, but the Department of Environmental Protection’s $207 million budget will be $15.3 million (7 percent) lower than last year.

That can’t be good news for DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty. If she’s looking for areas to cut, and perhaps a sympathetic ear, she might put in a call to her counterpart in New Jersey. The Garden State’s DEP Commissioner, Lisa Jackson, told the NJ Senate Environmental Committee last week that she has lost 200 employees due to budgetary restrictions since she took over the Department in 2006.

“I am increasingly managing the department with senior staff,” Jackson said.

When asked about her priorities in 2008, Jackson said she had targeted seven areas but lacks the additional money and staff needed to do the work.

Her plight is not likely to improve. Gov. Jon Corzine has announced a broad-scale freeze on state spending, and his plan to get the state out of debt via steep toll road hikes is running into stiff public and political opposition.

SIDEBAR: Tougher economic times are affecting more than just the budget of environmental regulators. See today’s New York Times piece: In Many Communities, It’s Not Easy Going Green Looking to Washington for relief? Fuggetaboutit: Also in today’s NY Times:
Next year’s war cost estimated at $170 billion

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