Judge denies request to stall New Jersey’s affordable housing law

By Jessica Perry, NJBIZ

New Jersey’s updated affordable housing law will proceed, following a Superior Court ruling issued at the start the new year.

Mercer County Judge Robert Lougy rejected a motion to stay implementation of the update “on numerous grounds” in an opinion released Jan. 2. Fair Share Housing Center, a defendant in the case, announced the ruling Thursday.

Led by Montvale, several municipalities filed suit in the fall to challenge the legislative overhaul of New Jersey’s affordable housing obligations. Under the state’s landmark Mount Laurel Doctrine, municipalities’ constitutional obligations for providing a fair share of affordable homes are updated every 10 years. The fourth round of obligations, starting in 2025, mark the first under the updated law.

The court will hear oral arguments Jan. 31 on whether to dismiss the complaint entirely.

Read the full story here

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NJ energy veteran recalls President Carter’s contributions








By Michael Winka
Over four decades, Winka helped develop solid waste and energy policies at the NJDEP and NJBPU

One of the many accomplishments of President Jimmy Carter was he created the Department of Energy.

On August 4 1977 he signed the Department of Energy Organization Act consolidating 30 separate energy offices and functions across the federal government, in response to the oil embargos at the time – His comments on signing the Act was “we need to operate government more efficiently – if we are going to be energy independent.

On October 1 1977 he “opened” the US Department of Energy – which is why Oct 1 id EE Day.

New Jersey had a Department of Energy as a separate Department but that was subsequently reorganized a Division of Energy Conservation in BPU which was further reorganized as the Department of Environment and Energy at NJDEP and subsequently re- reorganized back to it current structure at BPU and DCA. 

President Carter is the reason the US is now a net exporter of petroleum and natural gas producing more than we use for the last 3 years.  He is why the US can mine natural gas from shale at such a low cost.  He installed solar panels on the White House in 1979 with a goal to make 20% of our energy from solar by 2000. (New Jersey is about halfway there if you only count electricity).  But he also supported making more energy with coal.  Better to burn a ton of coal – he said than to support importing oil. 

Of course after the election President Reagan took the solar panels down, which started making energy a political football.

He is the reason you cannot buy an inefficient refrigeration or windows of hundreds of other EE appliance today.  Why building are orders of magnitude more energy efficient today.

He is the reason electricity usage has been relatively flat in New Jersey since around 2007, saving ratepayer billions on their energy cost and avoiding millions of tons of CO2. 

Michael Winka  
Sustainable Lawrence

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Most of Puerto Rico back in the dark on New Year’s Eve

Only a fraction of the island’s 1.4 million utility customers had power on Tuesday morning. The electricity provider said it would take 24 to 48 hours to restore power.


By Victor Mather, New York Times, Dec. 31, 2024 Updated 10:38 a.m. ET

A sweeping blackout hit Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, plunging nearly all of the island into darkness on New Year’s Eve.

As of 10:20 a.m. Eastern, only 13 percent of Puerto Rico’s 1.4 million utility customers had power, according to the tracking page of Luma Energy, which supplies power to the U.S. territory. The company said it was activating emergency operations to restore power and described the blackout as “systemwide.”

Luma said on social media that “preliminary findings point to a fault on an underground line.” It said that it planned to restore power in phases and that “the entire process will take between 24-48 hours, conditions permitting.”

Josué Colón, the director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, told Telemundo that he believed restoration would take several days.

Read the full story here:

Related news:
Most of Puerto Rico hit by New Year’s Eve power outage (CBS News)
1.3 million left in the dark (The Guardian)

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New Lithium Battery Transport Guide Issued as Fire Risks Grow








By Mike Schuler, gCaptain

The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has released a comprehensive guide for lithium battery shipping, addressing growing concerns about maritime transportation of electric vehicles and battery-powered goods.

The guide, released on November 21st, 2024, outlines new regulatory requirements for shipping lithium cells and batteries across all transport modes, including vessel shipments. Shippers must now comply with both domestic regulations and the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code, depending on their shipment route.

Lithium-ion battery cell explosions are commonly caused by thermal runaway, a chemical reaction that can lead to the cell igniting and exploding. Thermal runaway can occur spontaneously if the battery is damaged, shorted, overheated, defective, or overcharged.

Read the full story here

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Army Corps cutting Jersey Shore flood control projects in half

Expensive flood gate plans give way to raising home elevations

By Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News

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