Highlands Council trumps Planning Commission

In an 11-page opinion, written in April but only released this week, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office says the Highlands Council’s rules land-use rules will supersede local and county zoning, as well as the land-use guides of the State Planning Commission in the Highlands’ preservation area. That area comprises roughly half of the 850,000-acre region.

The opinion was written as the result of a request by the State Planning Commission for legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office on how provisions of the Highlands Act would affect the commission’s duties. “

How do you see the opinion affect planning and development in the area? Share you views by clicking on the “comment” line below.

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Putting pollution on the (Google) map

Want to check on a pollution-generating site anywhere in North America? Now you can on Google Earth.

Government environmental agencies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are providing the search engine company with toxic-inventory-styled data that is being added as a layer to Google’s free mapping service.

The three nation Commission for Environmental Cooperation explains that the new mapping tool allows anyone with access to a computer–whether in Manitoba, Mississippi, or Michoacán—”to find industrial facilities located near their homes, their workplaces, or their schools.”

When you click on a specific industrial site, the map also generates a profile of the facility, including which pollutants are generated there and how the facility handles them. Users can also compare the performance of facilities in their community to similar facilities elsewhere in North America.

To access the map, visit the CEC’s website here

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Gimme a tank full of ole gray mare!

By now, most freshmen students of alternative fuels know that ethanol is primarily made from corn, sorghum or sugarcane and that biodiesel comes from vegetable oils.

But did you know that a less expensive source of biodiesel comes out of animal rendering plants?

That’s right. The old gray mare is already providing horsepower (we couldn’t resist) for diesel-powered trucks and sedans, and other animals are giving their parts, too, to help American reduce its dependency on imported petroleum.

Writing in the July issue of Biodiesel Magazine, Nicholas Zeman informs us that “material from rendering plants is considered a choice feedstock for the production of renewable diesel.”

Apparently, there’s lots of it around. Zeman says that “With 273 facilities in the United States, the rendering industry processes 60 billion pounds of raw materials a year and generates billions of dollars in revenue.”

His article, “Recycling for Renewables” is an interesting piece. We recomend, however, that you don’t read it over lunch, especially if you packed a nice Spam sandwich.

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Howls grow over coyote in Princeton

Yes, you read it right…in Princeton!

New Jersey, the most densely populated (with humans) state in the nation, is now home to more than 3,000 coyotes, according to the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.

One of them has taken up residence in Battlefield State Park, not far from the Ivy League university itself. Several dog walkers there have reported run-ins with the coyote and labeled its behavior as “aggressive.”

In the town that keeps “Hold that tiger” on the pop charts, a hold has been put on the coyote’s capture. Officials fear the repercussions from animal lovers if the coyote is killed.

Maybe Princeton should negotiate a ‘relocation’ with the San Antonio Spurs. A little shot of ‘aggression’ sure couldn’t hurt their mascot.

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A big energy battle coming to a vote in PA

A keystone measure in Governor Ed Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy is HB 1201, which would mandate greater use of alternative energy sources, require the installation of advance electricity meters in homes to encourage conservation during peak-load periods, and create an $850M bond fund. Money from this, so-called “Energy Independence Fund” would: – pay rebates to consumers who replace inefficient electrical appliances- provide grants and loans for the expansion of alternative energy companies, and – provide development and equipment costs to attract new alternative energy investments The environmental organization, PennFUTURE, supports the legislation. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry opposes.

They don’t differ over the environmental benefits of Rendell’s program. This time it’s strictly economics.

PennFUTURE’s President and CEO John Hanger, in testimony before a state House committee, warns that Pennsylvania “will lose billions of dollars of investment and tens of thousands of jobs unless House Bill 1201 is passed.” He notes that neighboring New Jersey and New York “are making substantial investments” to attract developers of developing technologies like wind power and bio-diesel.

Leskey Smith, who is director of communications for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, argues in yesterday’s Patriot-News that “borrowing close to $1 billion to be repaid over the next three decades is not the answer” and questions the need to “subsidize companies that already have been guaranteed a market.”

Care to share your own point of view? Click the “comments” link below. You can respond anonymously, but we believe a your opinion will carry more weight if you disclose your name and affiliation. Go ahead, tell us what you think.

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Brits rebel against the plastic bag

Spurred by a filmmaker’s documentary, the English town of Modbury has become the first in Europe to ban them outright. Others may follow as stores, grass-roots groups, and citizens are joining forces to reduce national consumption of the ubiquitous convenience item.
British retailer Sainsbury introduced a limited-edition reusable cotton bag (left) designed by Anya Hindmarch. Priced at $10, all 20,000 sold out within an hour.
The Christian Science Monitor reports it all here.

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