EnviroPolitics Blog

EnviroPolitics Weekend Legislative Report for February 12, 2024

Editor’s Note: We are experiencing technical difficulties that delayed the publication of this report and altered its normal format.

New Jersey Legislative Report for February 12, 2024

Bill: A3577
Sponsors: Collazos-Gill (D27)
Summary: Provides CBT credit for the development of anaerobic digestion facilities that process food waste.
History: 02/08/2024 — Introduced and referred to Assembly Environment, Natural Resources and Solid Waste Committee.

Bill: A3633
Sponsors: Murphy (D7)
Summary: Establishes School Plastics Upcycling Grant Program in DEP to provide proportional awards to eligible schools based on pro rata share of plastics collected, by each school, for upcycling purposes; appropriates $5 million.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Bill: A3645
Sponsors: Calabrese (D36)
Summary: Establishes low-carbon transportation fuel standard program in DEP.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Bill: A3697
Sponsors: Spearman (D5); Park (D37)
Summary: Appropriates $500,000 from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and “2009 Farmland Preservation Fund” to State Agriculture Development Committee for municipal planning incentive grants for farmland preservation purposes.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Bill: A3698
Sponsors: Reynolds-Jackson (D15); Freiman (D16)
Summary: Appropriates $1.723 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues and “2009 Farmland Preservation Fund” to State Agriculture Development Committee for grants to certain nonprofit organizations for farmland preservation purposes.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Bill: ACR114
Sponsors: Murphy (D7)
Summary: Urges DEP and EDA to establish plastics recycling marketplace.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Bill: S209
Sponsors: Smith (D17); Pou (D35) +1
Summary: Provides CBT tax credit for retrofit of existing warehouses with solar-ready zone once solar panels are installed.
History: 01/09/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
02/05/2024 — Reported out of committee, 2nd reading in Senate. Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Bill: S212
Sponsors: Smith (D17); Greenstein (D14)
Summary: Directs BPU to update interconnection standards for Class I renewable energy sources and develop fixed fee structure for interconnection costs.
History: 01/09/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee.
01/29/2024 — Transferred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
02/05/2024 — Reported out of committee, 2nd reading in Senate. Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Bill: S225
Sponsors: Smith (D17); Greenstein (D14) +1
Summary: Establishes incentive program for installation of energy storage systems.
History: 01/09/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
02/05/2024 — Reported out of committee, 2nd reading in Senate. Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Bill: S1392 Sca (1R)
Sponsors: Singleton (D7); McKeon (D27) +9
Summary: Establishes Office of Clean Energy Equity in BPU; directs the establishment of certain clean energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage programs for overburdened communities; makes change to community solar program.
History: 01/09/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
02/05/2024 — Reported out of committee with committee amendments, 2nd reading in Senate. Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Bill: S2557
Sponsors: Steinhardt (R23)
Summary: Establishes requirements for the sale and planting of running bamboo; requires recordkeeping of certain violations and consideration thereof as grounds for license or registration review.
History: 02/08/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Bill: S2592
Sponsors: Bucco (R25)
Summary: Creates alternate voting members on county agriculture development boards.
History: 02/08/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee.

Bill: S2593
Sponsors: Bucco (R25)
Summary: Authorizes use of certain constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for grants for prevention and remediation of harmful algal blooms.
History: 02/08/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Bill: S2594
Sponsors: Bucco (R25)
Summary: Appropriates $28,670,924 in 2003 and 1992 bond act monies for loans for dam restoration and repair projects and inland waters projects.
History: 02/08/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Bill: S2595
Sponsors: Bucco (R25)
Summary: Establishes bee-friendly habitat pilot program in the Department of Agriculture; appropriates $1 million.
History: 02/08/2024 — Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

Bill: S2654
Sponsors: Greenstein (D14)
Summary: Directs BPU to conduct a study to determine whether microgrid and distributed energy resource deployment will reduce the length of power outages.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Bill: S2690
Sponsors: Cruz-Perez (D5)
Summary: Requires State entities to recycle certain materials and provide recycling bins in State buildings.
History: 02/08/2024 — Proposed for introduction.

Pennsylvania General Assembly

SB 1054 (Yaw) RGGI Regulation Abrogation
Referred to ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, Feb. 2, 2024
Reported as committed from ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, Feb. 5, 2024
First consideration, Feb. 5, 2024
Second consideration, Feb. 6, 2024

EnviroPolitics Weekend Legislative Report for February 12, 2024 Read More »

NJ Senate Democrats get a new deputy executive director

Rosa Farias

ByROI-NJ Staff

Senate President Nick Scutari on Thursday announced the appointment of Rosa Farias as deputy executive director of the Senate Majority Office; she is the first Latina to assume this role.

Farias steps into this position following the retirement of former Deputy Executive Director Kevin Duhon in January.

In her previous capacity, Farias served as a senior policy adviser to Senate leadership within the Senate Majority Office, where she collaborated closely with leadership to develop impactful policy platforms that directly benefited New Jersey residents.

Farias brings considerable experience spanning well over 15 years in state and local government to her new position, having also held roles as director of urban policy and research analyst within the Senate.

Read the full news release here

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Jessica D. Hunt Named Partner at Manko, Gold

Jessica D. Hunt

Jessica Hunt has been promoted to partner at the environmental, energy, and land use law firm of Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, LLP (MGKF), located in suburban Philadelphia.

“Jessica has been an outstanding addition to the firm since joining us three years ago, MGKF’s Managing Partner Carol F. McCabe explained. “She has a deep knowledge of environmental regulatory programs, and her good judgment and legal skills make her a go-to resource for our clients.”

At MGKF, Hunt concentrates her practice on environmental regulatory compliance and permitting matters, with a particular focus on the areas of air and solid waste.

Prior to joining MGKF, Jessica was an assistant counsel for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Protection where she counseled the Department’s Air Quality and Solid Waste programs since 2014. In that role, she negotiated settlement agreements with regulated entities in a broad spectrum of areas, counseled clients on interpreting the Department’s regulations, assisted clients in reviewing permit applications, and served as lead counsel for the Department in numerous litigation matters before the Environmental Hearing Board and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.

Jessica received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Delaware. She is a cum laude graduate of Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law. During law school, Jessica was a law clerk for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a law clerk for the Philadelphia Water Department, and a legal intern for Aqua America. She also served as the president of the Environmental Law Society.

Jessica D. Hunt Named Partner at Manko, Gold Read More »

Rare Earth’s discovery in Wyoming could be a world leader

By Pat Maio, Cowboy State Daily

There’s a modern-day gold rush happening in the attempt to dig green-energy rare earth minerals out of the ground. Some believe Wyoming could be America’s answer to China’s lock on the market.

And one of a handful of Wyoming companies in the rush may have hit the mother lode.

American Rare Earths Inc. has its sights on thousands of acres of land near Wheatland, Wyoming. The company disclosed in a technical report on Wednesday that it found 64% more rare earth minerals than it had originally envisioned in a March 2023 assessment of the land.

What are rare earth elements, and why are they important?
Why are rare earth elements so strategically important?
Global superpowers courting Greenland for its rare earth potential
Rare Earth Minerals Might Be Found in More Places

The newly disclosed figure of 2.34 billion metric tons of rare earth minerals found southwest of Wheatland by American Rare Earths Inc. could dwarf in size the 1.2 million metric ton estimates in northeastern Wyoming that one of its competitors claimed was one of the biggest discoveries in the world.

A metric ton equals about 2,200 pounds while a ton is 2,000 pounds.

“This exceeded our wildest dreams, and we only drilled on about 25% of the property,” said Donald Swartz, CEO of American Rare Earths.

The company is the U.S.-based unit of an Australian-founded exploration company working in Wyoming.

Read the full story here

Rare Earth’s discovery in Wyoming could be a world leader Read More »

Bill would lock fossil-fuel investments out of NJ pension investments

By JOHN REITMEYER, BUDGET/FINANCE WRITER , NJ Spotlight

With a new legislative session underway in Trenton, climate activists are renewing their push to ban New Jersey public worker pension funds from being used to back investments in the fossil-fuel industry.

A measure that would force those managing public-worker pension funds in New Jersey to shed any stakes in the 200 largest publicly traded fossil-fuel companies won strong support from climate activists and other environmentalists Monday during a Senate Environment and Energy Committee hearing.

No formal votes on the legislation were taken during the hearing, but divestment advocates called for increased urgency, echoing concerns that have been raised during recent meetings of the New Jersey State Investment Council, a group that sets policy for the more than $90 billion pension fund.

Feeling the effects of climate change

As proof, the advocates cited ways climate change has begun to impact life in New Jersey on a routine basis, including dangerous flooding from heavy storms and alarming wildfire-induced air-quality alerts.

“It’s a feedback loop, and we’re in it, and there’s a real urgency right now,” said Tina Weishaus, who serves as co-chair of the DivestNJ Coalition.

They also reminded lawmakers that New Jersey has filed a lawsuit in recent years against the fossil fuel industry seeking compensation for damages being caused by climate change.

“What kind of retirement can we expect to provide for our public employees when we are investing in the very companies that are destroying the health of our people, our communities, our economy, our natural resources, and our futures?” Weishaus asked during the hearing.

Read the full story here

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EPA adopts stronger soot standards for an expected $46B in health benefits

From an EPA news release

The USEPA today finalized a significantly stronger air quality standard to better protect America’s families, workers, and communities from the dangerous and costly health effects of fine particle pollution, also known as soot.

By strengthening the annual health-based national ambient air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 micrograms per cubic meter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s updated standard will save lives — preventing up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays, yielding up to $46 billion in net health benefits in 2032. For every $1 spent from this action, there could be as much as $77 in human health benefits in 2032.

Recommendations of the independent advisors comprising the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and CASAC PM expert panel were considered when deciding on whether to strengthen the PM standards.

Based on the scientific evidence, technical information, recommendations from CASAC, and public comments on the 2023 proposed standards, EPA has set two primary standards for PM2.5, which work together to protect public health: the annual standard, which EPA has revised, and a 24-hour standard, which the agency retained. EPA also retained the current primary 24-hour standard for PM10, which protects against coarse particles. EPA is also not changing the secondary (welfare-based) standards for fine particles and coarse particles at this time.

A broad and growing body of science links particle pollution to a range of serious and sometimes deadly illnesses. Many studies show that these microscopic fine particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and that long- and short-term exposure can lead to asthma attacks, missed days of school or work, heart attacks, expensive emergency room visits and premature death.

Due to the efforts that states, Tribes, industry, communities, and EPA have already taken to reduce dangerous pollution in communities across the country, 99% of U.S. counties are projected to meet the more protective standard in 2032, likely the earliest year that states would need to meet the revised standard. That’s even before accounting for additional actions on the horizon to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act investments and to update source-specific emission standards.

See projected progress in 2032.

EPA is also revising the Air Quality Index to improve public communications about the health risks from PM_2.5exposures.

Some PM is emitted directly from combustion sources, construction sites, industrial processes, and older diesel engines, while other particles are formed in the atmosphere in complex chemical reactions with other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that are emitted from power plants, gasoline and diesel engines, and certain industrial processes. Particle pollution from industrial processes and other sources is controllable, with readily available and cost-effective technologies to manage emissions, and EPA will build on decades of experience in providing flexible options to states and Tribes across the implementation process.

EPA carefully considered extensive public input as it determined the final standards. The agency held a virtual public hearing and received about 700,000 written comments before finalizing today’s updated air quality standards.

See more information on today’s final standards at Final Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter.

EPA adopts stronger soot standards for an expected $46B in health benefits Read More »