EnviroPolitics Blog

Environmental bills up for votes in the NJ Senate

Members of the New Jersey Senate are scheduled to consider 43 pieces of legislation at their voting session tomorrow, Thursday, September 30, in Trenton.

Among them are four environmental bills:

S-59 Cardinale, G. (R-39); Weinberg, L. (D-37)

Creates bi state commission to coordinate management and flood prevention of waterways flowing between Bergen County, NJ and Rockland County, NY.

Related Bill: A-2440

S-463 Smith, B. (D-17); Buono, B. (D-18)

Authorizes creation of local renewable energy collaboratives and central renewable energy generation systems, and provides for sale of renewable power generation.

Related Bill: A-915

S-793 Madden, F.H. (D-4)

Encourages purchase of NJ solar panels and wind turbines for State projects and State-funded projects.

Related Bill: A-1555

S-2231 Sweeney, S.M. (D-3); Kean, T.H. (R-21)

Allows tax credits for development of qualified wind energy facilities in port district of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

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Environmental bills up for votes in the NJ Senate Read More »

Remember when we were the do-ers? The innovators?

Thomas L. Friedman

From Their Moon and Ours by New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman:

“China is doing moon shots. Yes, that’s plural. When I say “moon shots” I mean big, multibillion-dollar, 25-year-horizon, game-changing investments. China has at least four going now: one is building a network of ultramodern airports; another is building a web of high-speed trains connecting major cities; a third is in bioscience, where the Beijing Genomics Institute this year ordered 128 DNA sequencers — from America — giving China the largest number in the world in one institute to launch its own stem cell/genetic engineering industry; and, finally, Beijing just announced that it was providing $15 billion in seed money for the country’s leading auto and battery companies to create an electric car industry, starting in 20 pilot cities. China Inc. just named its dream team of 16-state-owned enterprises to move China off oil and into the next industrial growth engine: electric cars. Not to worry. America today also has its own multibillion-dollar, 25-year-horizon, game-changing moon shot: fixing Afghanistan.”

And from Grist’s Jonathan Hiskes on the Friedman essay in Friedman misses what’s really holding America back on clean energy:

It’s a solid piece, with one exception:

Europe is using $7-a-gallon gasoline to stimulate the market for electric cars; China is using $5-a-gallon and naming electric cars as one of the industrial pillars for its five-year growth plan. And America? President Obama has directed stimulus money at electric cars, but he is unwilling to do the one thing that would create the sustained consumer pull required to grow an electric car industry here: raise taxes on gasoline.

Let’s put blame where it belongs. Obama isn’t trying to raise the gasoline tax because conservatives have made it next to impossible to talk about raising taxes of any sort. Even phasing out tax breaks for millionaires might prove beyond the ability of Congress this fall — forget taking on something as pocketbook-sensitive as gas taxes.

Consider how absurd our current political situation is: We can’t even talk about half the equation of doing government. Politicians can appear at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for spending projects; they can promise spending “cuts” without specifying what they’d cut; but it’s suicidal for them to remind voters that it takes money to build rail lines or airports or a world-class education system. No wonder China and Europe are outpacing us.

Our most recent posts:
NJ bills reward homegrown solar & wind manufacturing
NJ’s LSRP licensing board is nearing full strength

Bills in the NJ Senate Environment Committee – Sep 23

Rutgers’ Fall Seminars for Environmental Professionals

Highlights from EPA’s fracking hearing in New York

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Remember when we were the do-ers? The innovators? Read More »

NJ bills reward homegrown solar & wind manufacturing

Identical bills in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature would provide a significant business boost to in-state companies that produce (or might be wooed to the state to produce) solar panels or wind turbines.

The bills would require that government contracts for solar and wind projects be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder whose principal place of business is in New Jersey or who uses a majority of parts manufactured or assembled as a final product in the Garden State.

S-793 (Madden/Beach) and A-1555 (Lampitt/DeAngelo/Greenstein) would apply to projects “to be paid with or out of State funds, or in whole or in part with a grant or loan provided by the State to a governmental entity.”

The Senate legislation is in position for a floor vote in that house. The Assembly bill awaits consideration by the State Government Committee.

Have an opinion on the legislation? Sound off in the comment box below. If one doesn’t appear, click on the tiny ‘comments’ line below.

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NJ bills reward homegrown solar & wind manufacturing Read More »

NJ’s LSRP licensing board is nearing full strength

** Correction: We erred in our original listing of Michael Pisauro as representing the New Jersey Environmental Federation. Mr. Pisauro represents the New Jersey Environmental Lobby**

The New Jersey Senate’s Judiciary Committee tomorrow (9/23) is expected to approve the nominations of five of the remaining six persons named by Governor Chris Christie to the New Jersey Site Remediation Professional Licensing Board. The full Senate will need to confirm the committee action but that vote generally is virtually automatic.

If approved by the committee and the Senate, the makeup of the board will look like this:

Site Remediation Professional Licensing Board – 13 members

DEP Commissioner or designee (1)

State Geologist (1)

Business (1)
Richard T. Dewling, PhD Dewling Associates, Inc. 3-year term

Academic (1)
James Mack NJIT York Center for Environmental Engineering & Science 4 years

Environmental Organizations (3)
Joann L. Held                     Alliance of New Jersey Environmental Educators   3 years
Michael L. Pisauro, Jr.,        New Jersey Environmental Lobby                  2 years
**Benjamin Alter (LSRP)     GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. – GreenFaith             1 year

** (Nomination pending)

Site Remediation Professionals (6)
Christopher J. Motta ARCADIS                                                            1 year
Ira Whitman                 Whitman Companies                                            4 years
Lawra Dodge                Excel Environmental Resources, Inc.           3 years
Jorge Berkowitz            Langan Engineering and Environmental Services     2 years
Philip I. Brilliant             Brilliant Lewis Environmental Services                   2 years
Constantine Tsentas      ATC Associates, Inc.                                          1 year

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Environmental bills scheduled for votes this week

NJ’s LSRP licensing board is nearing full strength Read More »

Bills in the NJ Senate Environment Committee – Sep 23

The New Jersey Senate’s Environment Committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 23, in Room 10 of the State House Annex in Trenton to consider the following pieces of environmental legislation:

S-59 Cardinale, G. (R-39); Weinberg, L. (D-37)

Creates bi-state commission to coordinate management and flood prevention of waterways flowing between Bergen County, NJ and Rockland County, NY. Related Bill: A-2440

S-793 Madden, F.H. (D-4)

Encourages purchase of NJ solar panels and wind turbines for State projects and State-funde

projects. Related Bill: A-1555

S-1123 Van Drew, J. (D-1); Connors, C.J. (R-9)

Permits members of Pinelands Commission to approve revisions to comprehensive management plan. Related Bill: A-2424

S-2196 Smith, B. (D-17); Bateman, C. (R-16)

Directs BPU to undertake local government renewable energy generation demonstration project utilizing renewable energy technologies. Related Bill: A-3142

S-2275 Smith, B. (D-17); Bateman, C. (R-16)

Directs DOT to study stormwater basins in Barnegat Bay watershed.

SR-58 Kean, S.T. (R-11); Gordon, R.M. (D-38)

Opposes development of liquefied natural gas facilities off NJ coast.

Related Bill: AR-59

To view full copies of any of the above bills, left-click on the bill number.

Our most recent posts:
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Bill would require solar panels in all new NJ schools

Environmental bills scheduled for votes this week

Bills in the NJ Senate Environment Committee – Sep 23 Read More »

Rutgers’ Fall Seminars for Environmental Professionals

Rutgers University in Fall

From Brownfields and Environmental Forensics to Flood Hazard Area Rules and Site Remediation Basics, Rutgers University is offering an interesting assortment of seminars this fall for environmental professionals in New Jersey.

Below is the lineup (Click on the links for details).

Brownfields: Emerging Issues

http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/courses/current/en0506ca.html

Hot Topics for Licensed Site Remediation Professionals

http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/brochures/intros/LSRP.html

Environmental Forensics

http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/courses/current/el0401ca.html

Geology Hydrology and Chemistry: The Basics of Environmental Applications

http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/courses/current/ew0106ca.html

Sewer Extensions: Treatment Works Approval

http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/courses/current/en0301ca.html

NJDEP Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules