How to stop a warehouse: Get your town to buy the site

Edison NJ Buys Silver Lake Property, Ending Warehouse Battle

By Sarah Salvadore,, Patch Staff

EDISON, NJ – For the past three years, residents of Silver Lake in Edison have been locked in a battle with developers, to prevent the building of a warehouse in the neighborhood.

On Wednesday, the residents tasted victory as the Township purchased the land, taking ownership of the 11-acre property.

A title and deed signing ceremony was held on Wednesday with Mayor Sam Joshi, Councilmembers, and residents on Silver Lake in attendance.

“I am proud to announce there will be no warehouse built along Silver Lake because we have officially purchased the property. This neighborhood fight began because of a few residents who came together and stood firm against unnecessary development,” Joshi said.

“It was three years ago when we were putting lawn signs together and spreading awareness. The few activists turned into a town-wide fight against warehouses adjacent to residential neighborhoods and unnecessary development. Thank you to the Edison Council for supporting the funding of this site. This chapter is finally over.”

Read the full story here

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Virginia is for Lovers (of offshore wind energy)

Dominion Energy wins federal approval for a 176-turbine offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

Dominion Energy is developing a $9.8 billion, 180-turbine wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach, with construction slated to take place from 2024 to 2026. Photo by Robyn Sidersky

BY ROBYN SIDERSKY, Virginia Business

Richmond-based Dominion Energy has earned the final two federal approvals needed to move forward with the construction and operation of its $9.8 billion, 176-turbine offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management granted final approval of the construction plan for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its permit to allow for permitted impacts to U.S. waters.

Construction on the turbines and three offshore substations in a nearly 113,000-acre area is expected to begin in May.

Related offshore wind energy news:
New York lures back offshore wind builders burnt by cost hikes

Once fully constructed in late 2026, the Fortune 500 electric utility’s wind turbines will produce 2.6 gigawatts of energy, which would power about 660,000 homes.

“Virginia is leading the way for offshore wind as we near the start of offshore construction for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind,” Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and CEO, said in a statement. “These regulatory approvals keep CVOW on time and on budget as we focus on our mission of providing customers with reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy.”

The project will be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm and aligns with a state mandate that Dominion Energy go carbon-free by 2045.

Read the full story here

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NJ Spotlight News’ Virtual Roundtable Series: Storm Flooding

NJ Spotlight News Virtual Roundtable Series:
New Jersey’s Climate Future:
The Science, Politics & Planning
 
This will be an online event only.  Please register to have a viewing link emailed to you the afternoon of the event.

Storm Flooding: Wednesday, February 7th, 4:00-5:15 pm
Panelists:

Amanda Devecka-Rinear, Executive Director, New Jersey Organizing Project | New Jersey Resource Project
Brooke Maslo, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Mark McDonough, President, New Jersey American Water, Senior Vice President, American Water
Mayor Richard M. Onderko, Borough of Manville, New Jersey
Jon Hurdle, Water & Environment Writer, NJ Spotlight News

Moderator: Briana Vannozzi, Anchor, NJ Spotlight News

ATTEND EVENT

NJ Spotlight News’ Virtual Roundtable Series: Storm Flooding Read More »

NJ Spotlight News Virtual Roundtable Series: Storm Flooding

Wednesday, February 7th, 4:00-5:15 pm

Panelists:

Amanda Devecka-Rinear, Executive Director, New Jersey Organizing Project | New Jersey Resource Project

Brooke Maslo, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Mark McDonough, President, New Jersey American Water, Senior Vice President, American Water

Mayor Richard M. Onderko, Borough of Manville, New Jersey

Jon Hurdle, Water & Environment Writer, NJ Spotlight News

Moderator: Briana Vannozzi, Anchor, NJ Spotlight News

Online event only.  Please register to have a viewing link emailed to you the afternoon of the event.

Register here

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Power company says it will recycle its lagoon coal ash into concrete

A high water day on the Mobile River brings water levels closer to the dam at Alabama Power’s Plant Barry.

By Dennis Pillion, AL..com

Alabama Power has announced a deal to remove and recycle “almost all” of the 22 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash sitting in an unlined lagoon on the banks of the Mobile River.

Alabama Power announced Thursday that it will join with Eco Material Technologies to build a new coal ash recycling facility in Bucks, Ala., about 25 miles north of downtown Mobile.

The new plant would treat and dry the wet coal ash slurry from 597 acres at the James M. Barry Electric Generating Plan. The recycled material will be used in making concrete.

Dead alligator found where the cooling water from Plant Barry enters the Mobile River.

The agreement comes about six months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a plan that would reject Alabama’s coal ash regulations, which would have allowed coal ash in Alabama to remain in unlined pits.

But, Alabama Power told AL.com Friday that the deal had been “well underway” before the EPA’s decision, which has not yet been finalized. The company says it still intends to cover its coal ash ponds in place, pending regulatory approval.

Coal ash is what’s left over when utilities burn coal to make electricity. The ash often contains potentially harmful substances like lead, arsenic, mercury, and other heavy metals, which leach into groundwater and surface waters from unlined ponds. The ponds at the Barry plant sit in the heart of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, dubbed “America’s Amazon” for its remarkable biodiversity.

Read the full story here

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Ex-Con and Coal Titan Don Blankenship is running for U.S. Senate

By Brad McElhinny, MetroNews (West Virginia)

A political lightning rod who spent a year in jail on a mine safety conspiracy conviction, Blankenship is running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate.

This is the seat that Senator Joe Manchin, an independent-minded mainstay of West Virginia Democratic politics, has chosen to bow out of competing to retain.

Most pundits believe the seat is likely to flip to a Republican, and the top candidates on that side are incumbent Gov. Jim Justice and Congressman Alex Mooney.

Related news story
Coal exec Don Blankenship files for Senate run

Blankenship has been involved with Republican politics in West Virginia for many years, first as an activist and financial backer just before the GOP swung to dominance and then in 2018 with a competitive race in the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate.

Blankenship’s announcement throws a curveball into the current race. He has enough wealth to finance his campaign and he does not anticipate support from the Democratic Party.

“I would expect them to be very upset that I’m even in the race,” he said.

Read the full story here

If you liked this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

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