NJ Gov. Chris Christie wants you back — on the beach
NJ Gov. Chris Christie wants you back — on the beach Read More »
Obama caves in to industry on Clean Air Act rules
The New York Times reports today that:
The Obama administration is abandoning its plan to
immediately tighten air quality rules nationwide to cut reduce emissions of
smog-causing chemicals after an intense lobbying campaign by industry, which
said the new rule would cost billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of
jobs, officials said Friday.The Environmental Protection Agency, following the
recommendation of its scientific advisers, had proposed lowering the so-called
ozone standard from that set by the Bush administration to a new stricter
standard that would have thrown hundreds of American counties out of compliance
with the Clean Air Act. It would have required a major effort by state and
local officials, as well as new emissions controls by industries and
agriculture across the country.The more lenient Bush administration standard from 2006
will remain in place until a scheduled reconsideration of acceptable pollution
limits in 2013, officials indicated Friday.
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/science/earth/03air.html?emc=na
What do you think about the President’s decision? Justified by the facts? Realistic? A sure sign that his re-election campaign is under way? Other? Use the comment box below. If one is not visible, click on the tiny ‘comments’ line to activate it.
What do you think about the President’s decision? Justified by the facts? Realistic? A sure sign that his re-election campaign is under way? Other? Use the comment box below. If one is not visible, click on the tiny ‘comments’ line to activate it.
Related:
Obama Administration Abandons Stricter Air-Quality Rules
Ozone decision: The final green straw?
Environmental groups blast Obama’s ozone standards retreat
Obama ozone decision blindsides enviros – and his own EPA
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New Jersey cuts red tape on hurricane debris cleanup
Exelon shuts down NJ nuclear plant as Irene nears
Trenton-based enviro-engineering firm’s new president
———————————————————————————————————————————-
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Obama caves in to industry on Clean Air Act rules Read More »
NJ eyes faster payback for water utilities that make infrastructure upgrades
The state is spelling out details of a proposal that will allow water utilities to recover costs for improving their water mains, hydrants and other infrastructure more quickly from customers without as much regulatory scrutiny. Related Links NJ’s Aging Water Infrastructure Needs More than a Patch Gas Utilities Look for Rapid Recovery of Costs for Upgrading Infrastructure The proposal, in the works for the past several months, would address a priority of Board of Public Utilities (BPU) President Lee Solomon, who has often said that the next big crisis facing New Jersey will be the cost of upgrading its aging water infrastructure. With New Jersey facing as much $20 billion to repair its water and wastewater infrastructure, the streamlined payment mechanism is seen as a way of prodding water companies to speed up much needed repairs. If upgrades are done sooner rather than later, the long-term costs to ratepayers will be much less, according to advocates of the proposal.
via njspotlight.com
The proposal that the New Jersey BPU is weighing would allow water utilities to pass along to their customers the cost of routine improvements such as water main replacements. It’s been tried in Pennsylvania, where customers pay up to 3.20 per month in addition to their regular water charges.
NJ eyes faster payback for water utilities that make infrastructure upgrades Read More »
Funding for Barnegat Bay could be in jeopardy in '12
To the list of perils facing Barnegat Bay, like jellyfish swarms and disappearing fish, there might be a new one to add: fiscal austerity in Washington. Money for restoring coastal bays and rivers could be up for grabs as Congress grapples with a 2012 budget in the coming month, said Richard Innes, executive director of the Association of National Estuary Programs. “We got level funding for 2011 which was great. For 2012, it’s anyone’s guess, because of this (deficit reduction) deal they’ve made,” said Innes, whose association includes the federally funded Barnegat Bay Partnership. Bay advocates recently got help from Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., who wrote a letter to House leadership to support continued funding for the National Estuary Program. They are counting too on help from Barnegat Bay’s congressmen, Reps. Chris Smith and Jon Runyan, both R-N.J.
Just when you thought there couldn’t be one more problem facing New Jersey’s most written-about body of water…
Funding for Barnegat Bay could be in jeopardy in '12 Read More »
Editorial sides with Christie on fracking over Corbett
[Updated at 12:58 a.m.on 9/4/11 to include link to letter responding to Star-Ledger editorial]
The Express-Times, a daily newspaper located in Easton, PA, which also covers Garden State news and issues for readers in Warren County, NJ, likes New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s idea of imposing a one-year ban on the use of fracking to drill for natural gas.
An editorial appearing in today’s edition of the paper says:
Condemnation of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was swift, loud and wrong, following his decision to conditionally veto a proposed ban on hydraulic fracturing in the Garden State, opting instead for a one-year moratorium.
A moratorium will allow state officials to get a better read on what’s going on in Washington, where federal agencies are studying the side-effects of “fracking” — the name given to drilling deep into Marcellus shale formations and injecting a water-chemical-sand mix into the rock under high pressure to drive natural gas to the surface.
New Jersey is in no imminent danger of being invaded by energy companies in search of frackable shale deposits. Unlike New York and Pennsylvania, it lacks the geologic make-up that drillers are looking to tap.
Christie’s one-year embargo is a measured response — an environmentally sound decision compared to the come-and-get-it, no-extraction-tax approach taken by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. Whether Corbett even opts for limited fees to cover environmental damage, road wear and other community impact remains to be seen. He’s mulling the findings of his Marcellus task force.
Some of the fallout of fracking has been demonstrated in the northern tier of Pennsylvania, where residential wells have been contaminated by methane and a few gas wells have popped their corks. The greater dangers are the possibilities of natural gas seeping into aquifers, wastewater and chemicals being spilled or illegally dumped, and contamination of the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, which provide drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people.
Including water intakes in New Jersey, which is why Christie’s position on fracking is more than symbolic. The governor and the Legislature can revisit the issue in a year, when they know more about it, and reconsider an outright ban. It’s shameful that Pennsylvania is in such a rush to sign away its carbon-based bonanza without knowing more about the dangers and long-range costs to people who have no mineral-rights claims.
Related:
Total ban on fracking in N.J. the only safe choice
What do you think? Use the comment box below to make your case. If one is not visible, click the tiny ‘comments’ link to activate it.
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New Jersey cuts red tape on hurricane debris cleanup
Last week, in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Irene, New Jersey took steps to allow the suspension of some of its solid waste regulations in order to help speed the cleanup of the debris that the hurricane was expected to leave in its wake.
The action proved timely, as Irene trailed northeast along the New Jersey coast Saturday night, leaving behind what Governor Chris Christie estimated to be ‘billions’ of dollars worth of damage.
Some rivers, still rising on Sunday, were expected to crest on Monday, adding to the damage in numerous communities (see video of flooding in Manville, NJ).
If you are a county or municipal official–including solid waste and recycling coordinators–you may find the following information to be of particular value as you participate in the work of cleaning up after the hurricane.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin signed an Administrative Order on August 26, to suspend certain regulations pertaining to waste transportation and disposal. Under the order, the DEP may temporarily, allow for the:
Use of currently unregistered vehicles for waste transport
Exceedance of waste tonnage limits
Expanded hours of facility operation
Martin was careful to stress that the suspensions would be only issues “in very limited circumstances, on a case-by-case basis, provided adequate environmental safeguards are maintained.”
For details, see Compliance Advisory #2011-10
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