Fewer than half of New Jersey municipalities have applied for no-match federal grants to help make energy efficiency upgrades. The deadline is fast approaching.

The deadline is Dec. 31, 2010 for New Jersey counties and municipalities to cash in on
a great opportunity to get a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.

You’d think that at a time when local governments are so strapped for funding that they
would be all over this opportunity to win (no-match) funding for energy improvements that
can produce sizable cost savings year after year.

But, although 512 local governments are eligible for the grants, only a few
over 200 have applied.

Below is a copy of the reminder memo sent to local mayors by NJ State League of Municipalities Executive Director Bill Dressel. Give it a read and check with your county
or town to see if they’re working on their application.  Time’s almost up….
________________________________________________________________________

December 10, 2010
Re:     Update on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
           Deadline of December 31, 2010 is approaching

Dear Mayor:

On behalf of Board of Public Utilities President Lee A. Solomon, I wanted to bring to your attention that of the 512 counties and municipalities eligible for the $20,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) only a little over 200 have submitted an application.  The deadline for this valuable grant is December 31, 2010 and there are no matching requirements.

The EECBG rebates of up to $20,000, funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), are being administered through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) Clean Energy Program (NJCEP). In addition, the BPU’s Direct Install initiative covers 60% of energy efficiency upgrade costs up to $50,000 per project with a $250,000 cap per entity.  When used in conjunction with Direct Install, the combination of program incentives with the block grant means local governments can receive up to $50,000 of energy efficiency measures for free ($30,000 from Direct Install plus $20,000 from EECBG).  Many participants are using the funds to replace heating and cooling equipment and lighting systems with new technology and are looking forward to recurring savings on their utility bills.

The BPU has created a grant process that is simple and fast, with staff available to guide you. The Clean Energy Program’s website has a list of eligible municipalities and counties.  Additionally, towns that have not applied for their free upgrades are highlighted in red and can be found at: http://www.njcleanenergy.com/commercial-industrial/programs/eecbg-eligible-entities.

New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program offers local governments a number of opportunities to save energy and lower utility bills.  Taking advantage of Direct Install and combining it with the EECBG rebate program has the potential to cut expenses dramatically, often with zero net cost and an immediate payback.

Again, the EECBG is available with NO MATCH to qualifying counties and municipalities that apply by December 31st.  I encourage you to take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the EECBG process and reach out to representatives at 866-NJSMART, ext. 4.

Very truly yours,

William G. Dressel, Jr.
Executive Director 
________________________________________________________________________

The last day of New Jersey’s first bear hunt in five years is pointing toward a showdown of sorts between hunters and protesters, reports NBC New York’s Brian Thompson.

“The four-day total through Thursday of bagged bears was 477, with just 36 bears killed by hunters on the fourth day. But NJ DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese is predicting that hunters will be out in force on Saturday, the last day, since it is the only weekend day of the hunt. And bear advocates also plan to be out en masse. On Thursday, they won a deal brokered by Supreme Court Justice Barry Albin that will allow as many as 100 protesters at one of the five check-in stations Saturday.”

See Brian’s full story (and a video) here.

Regulations governing the siting, construction or use of production and exploratory natural gas wells in the Delaware River Basin were formally proposed today by the Delaware River Basin Commission. (Full copy: DRBC’s proposed Natural Gas Development Regulations)

Water use, well-pad siting, water monitoring and wastewater disposal

The rules address water withdrawals and establish well pad siting requirements. They also require pre- and post-project monitoring of surface and groundwater near well pads where high-volume, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) techniques are used.

They also require the monitoring, tracking, and reporting of water use and wastewater treatment and disposal. All wastewater would be required to be transported to approved treatment and disposal facilities.

Expedited approvals

In response to gas-industry complaints that DRBC application approvals can take up to nine months, the proposal provides for a streamlined (less than 30 day) “approval by rule” process for some natural gas development projects.

Fee to cover potential environmental damage

The Commission plans to require natural gas companies to pay a “financial assurance” fee of $125,000 per gas well “for the plugging, abandonment and restoration of natural gas wells and the remediation of any pollution from natural gas development activities.”

Three public hearings

Three public hearings will be scheduled during the 90-day comment period to receive oral testimony on the proposed rulemaking. Details will be released as soon as the dates and locations have been confirmed, according to a DRBC news release.

New York governor urges delay

The proposal comes just days after New York’s Gov. David Paterson called on the Commission to hold off  on adopting any regulations until his state completes its current study of the potential environmental impacts of natural gas well drilling.
See: DRBC hears from NY & NJ on impending fracking rules. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also has launched a study that is expected to produce national standards for natural gas exploration, including the use of fracking. 

New Jersey weighs anti-fracking legislation

The New Jersey Assembly’s Environment and Solid Waste Committee today will take testimony on two bills seeking to block the use of fracking.

AJR 61 (Wagner/Gusciora) urges Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania join New Jersey in
disapproving requests for withdrawing water for hydraulic fracturing and enact
bans on use of such drilling practices. 

AR 112 (Wagner/Gusciora) Urges the passage of U.S. House Bill  H.R. No. 2766 which would repeal
the exemption for hydraulic fracturing under the federal 27 “Safe Drinking Water Act.”

Related:
Water agency publishes gas drilling regulations
Delaware River Basin Commission to release fracking rules

The Delaware River Basin Commission is preparing to propose (but not today)  rules governing the use of hydrofracturing (fracking) to extract natural gas from sections of the Marcellus Shale within in the Delaware River watershed in New York and Pennsylvania. There was a belief in some circles that the DRBC would formally propose the rules today, but this is not the case, according to the commission’s Communications Manager, Clarke Rupert who advises:

“The proposed natural gas development regulations have not even been published as of now.  Following publishing of the draft regulations, there will be a written comment period and most likely three public hearings on the proposed rulemaking.  The written comments received during the comment period and oral testimony presented at the hearings will become part of the rulemaking record and be considered by the commissioners prior to any action on the proposed regulations.  Such action will be taken at duly noticed public meeting of the commission at a future date BUT NOT TODAY. “  

Leading to speculation that the commission would act at its meeting today in West Trenton, NJ, were letters sent earlier this week from officials in New York and New Jersey. New York’s Governor David A. Paterson, in a letter sent on Monday, urged the DRBC
to suspend any rulemaking until New York has completed its own review of the drilling technique. “DRBC appears intent on going forward with a regulatory program that would not have the advantage of the full investigations and public deliberations taking place in New York, “ Paterson wrote. “Your proposed program, covering only a very small portion of New York State, could well conflict with the technical and regulatory protocols ultimately adopted in New York, causing confusion, duplication, redundant regulatory fee assessments, differing regulations in different locations and possible mismanagement. “It would make far more sense,” Paterson wrote, “for DRBC to participate in the New York process and assist in making the program as effective as possible, certainly before undertaking unilateral action.”  In a December 7 letter, New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin urged the DRBC “to enact and implement strict (fracking)standards to protect the river – which provides a quarter of New Jersey’s drinking water”
until Pennsylvania and New York adopt their own regulations. "New Jersey continues to oppose any drilling of fracking wells in the Delaware River Basin until appropriate regulations and standards are in place," Martin wrote to DRBC Executive Director Carol Collier. "Strong safeguards to protect public water supplies and ensure that the wastes generated are properly managed and treated must be established before drilling. We reiterate that without those safeguards, drilling in the Marcellus Shale is unacceptable to New Jersey.” While no drilling would occur in New Jersey, Martin expressed concern that expansion of drilling in New York and Pennsylvania could have significant impacts on the Delaware River. As many as 10,000 wells could be drilled in portions of the basin in those states, requiring large withdrawals of water from the Delaware and possibly risking contamination of its tributaries. The DRBC is a multi-state commission that has regulatory jurisdiction over the Delaware River watershed. Its earlier imposed freeze on natural gas drilling permits has kept wells from being drilled in Pennsylvania’s northeast. Most drilling activity has been taking place in the southwest corner of the state.  The environmental coalition, Protecting Our Waters, urged its members to write to the DRBC and to Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell asking that the current permit freeze be extended.

”We are insisting not only on a cumulative impact study first, but on a full democratic process, fully informed by adequate science, which would require declaring the Delaware River watershed off-limits for fracking for three to five years,” the group said yesterday on its website. See our Enviro-Events Calendar for a copy of the DRBC’s agenda for today’s meeting. **********************************************************************************************************
What’s your take on the issue?  Should the DRBC delay adoption of its fracking rules until
New York and Pennsylvania have their own rules in place?  Should all new fracking be stopped until the EPA concludes its review of the drilling technique and imposes a national standard?  Or is the extraction of natural gas too important to be delayed? Can we count
on the natural gas industry to regulate itself and protect the environment? Let us know in the comment box below.  If you don’t see one, click on the tiny ‘comments’ line.
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