Tomorrow: EPA webinar on effective land use


Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, and other EPA experts will answer citizen questions about effective land use during an Internet-based “town hall meeting” from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. tomorrow (March 30) EST.
According to the EPA, effective and efficient land use saves commuting time, money, resources, and energy. Land use is also a major factor affecting the amount of greenhouse gases. A recent EPA document found that 16-20 percent of such emissions are associated with land management policies.
What do you think about EPA’s land use policies. What role does the public see EPA playing in land reuse? How can land cleanup contribute to effective reuse?

You can participate in the discussion via your computer or toll-free telephone call. The details are available here.

Our most recent posts:
Week’s top environmental news: Mar. 22-26 2010NJ bill prohibits rules exceeding federal standards
Text of NJ Gov. Christie’s Budget Address
NJDEP nominee sails through committee
Listen live to hearing on NJDEP chief


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Week’s top environmental news: Mar. 22-26 2010


Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and beyond that appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of March 22-26, 2010.

New Jersey Politics
Ex-Ocean Dem chief gets home confinement for bribes A former head of the Ocean County Democratic Party was sentenced in federal court in Trenton today to one year of home confinement for accepting bribes from FBI informant Star-Ledger

Governor’s bold moves gain national attention There’s not a
lot that’s small about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He is a big man with a big personality and a big problem — namely, closing a nearly $11 billion deficit in a state whose residents carry the biggest property-tax burden in the country AP
Corzine lands Wall Street and Princeton jobs Former Gov. Jon  Corzine is headed back to the private sector after accepting a job as chairman and chief executive officer for futures and options broker MF Global Holdings. He’s also snared a teaching gig at Princeton University Inquirer NYT NJNR AP

Christie calls for voluntary wage freezes by educators Gov. Christie says he has a way for school districts to avoid layoffs even after state and federal funding is slashed AP SHB

Gov. Christie signs pension cuts into law A package of public-employee pension and benefit cuts expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming fiscal year and billions over a longer period is signed into law by Gov. Christie, just minutes after winning legislative approval Inquirer SHB

Court documents: Dwek stashed $1M from authorities New court documents continue to flesh out the life of Solomon Dwek, the FBI informant behind last summer’s federal corruption and money-laundering sting. And with every revelation, his story becomes ever more outrageous than fiction Star-Ledger > Beldini asks judge to overturn conviction Star-Ledger
New Jersey Environment
EPA Administrator Jackson touring NJ Superfund sites
Former New Jersey DEP commissioner and current federal EPA administrator Lisa Jackson returns to New Jersey today to talk with residents in Pompton Lakes and Ringwood who have had to live with the health and other effects of contaminated sites in their towns
The Record Star-Ledger

Merlino relatives given A.C. reprieve Family ties to notorious mob figures are not enough to bar Joseph N. Merlino, his mother, and their construction company from working on Atlantic City casino construction sites, a hearing examiner for the NJ Casino Control Commission has ruled Inquirer AC Press New Jersey a nest for many new eagles Fifty-six pairs of eagles are incubating eggs and six nests have hatched in New Jersey. Larissa Smith, assistant biologist with the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, has released an update made possible by the efforts of numerous nest monitors who keep watch over the nests during breeding season Today’s Sunbeam Furor over Revel casino project’s China connection The planned Revel casino in Atlantic City, whose developers are seeking $300 million in state tax breaks, would be built with a "significant" amount of materials from China and could get its final piece of financing from there as well Inquirer

Hotel owner pleads guilty to discharging sewage The owners of the Crowne Plaza in Secaucus pleaded guilty Monday to discharging sewage into the Hackensack River and will pay $75,000 to an environmental advocacy group that alerted authorities to the illegal dumping The Record Jersey Journal
Rutgers’ research subs taking aim at worlds’ oceans Fresh from piloting a remote submarine across the Atlantic Ocean from Little Egg Harbor, NJ to Spain, oceanographers at Rutgers University are taking their unmanned torpedoes to the poles to study climate change and the world’s oceans AC Press

Christie rescinds freeze on NJ affordable housing Gov. Chris Christie Friday rescinded a contested executive order halting the work of a state Council on Affordable Housing, saying the task force he set up to review housing policies had finished its work and submitted its report SHB NJNR Jersey Journal
Pennsylvania Politics

Bonusgate defendants’ lawyer accuses Corbett A lawyer for two defendants in the Bonusgate corruption scandal is attempting to turn the tables on Attorney General Tom Corbett, accusing him in court documents, of the activities he is prosecuting Inquirer

Hoeffel backs spending more on transportation Even though Pennsylvania needs to close a big budget gap for the next fiscal year, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Hoeffel proposes to double the $2.3 billion the state contributes to PennDot for highways and bridges Inquirer

Pennsylvania, other states sue to block health overhaul As promised, within minutes of President Obama’s signing the health-care bill, 13 state attorneys general – among them Pennsylvania’s Tom Corbett – joined a suit to block the law on constitutional grounds Inquirer
Split Bonusgate verdicts for Veon, 2 others Former Rep. Michael R. Veon, once among the most powerful politicians in the state, was convicted last night of masterminding a scheme to have public funds underwrite the campaigns of House Democrats Inquirer
Bonusgate verdicts a relief for Corbett backers Republicans backing Attorney General Tom Corbett for governor had been growing more nervous every day that the deliberations dragged on Inquirer

Nutter wants to pitch waterfront vision to Wynn? Las Vegas gaming chief Steve Wynn will get a special tutorial on Philadelphia’s civic vision for the central Delaware River waterfront from someone who cares deeply about the issue: Mayor Nutter Inquirer

Pennsylvania Environment
DEP won’t seek injunction to shut down Erie Coke The state Department of Environmental Protection has decided not to seek a court injunction to shut down Erie Coke Corp. in the wake of a large emission of coke particles March 10 Erie-Times

Gas drilling moratorium advances in Harrisburg The full House approves an initial $29 billion state budget bill for fiscal 2010-11, reflecting Gov. Rendell’s spending priorities with a big exception: using $180 million in oil and gas fund revenues to balance the budget Citizens Voice

Shale’s $$ impact on area unknown With most of the nearby Marcellus Shale natural gas production occurring north and west of Luzerne County, the question is whether Greater Wilkes-Barre will benefit or be bypassed Times Leader
Opinion: Natural Gas tax: still a bad idea Wayne Independent
Council opts to explore tax on natural gas Wellsboro Borough Council decided Monday night not to adopt a resolution opposing a severance tax on natural gas as suggested by the Tioga County Association of Boroughs Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Editorial: Gas drilling watchdog process in place A week ago the gas drilling industry was called out by the state Department of Environmental Protection for discoloring and distorting the texture of spring water running off a Cummings Township hillside Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Northern Tier hoping for more gas drilling jobs Times Leader
Gas company seeks alternative Lake Twp. drilling site Although permits are already in place for a specific site, natural gas companies planning to drill an experimental well are seeking a new, larger township location Citizens Voice
Editorial: The risks of fracking The rush to drill for natural gas in Pennsylvania has put state officials in the unsettling position of playing catch-up with environmental regulations Inquirer
New York Nation World

State regulators reject Entergy plan to spin off reactors
State regulators say that the plan would be indebted from the start and financially unstable in the long run LoHud News

Ulster exec presses NYC officials on reservoirs County Executive says he hopes recent meetings with city officials will accomplish what years of legal cases have been unable to resolve in disputes over upstate reservoirs Kingston Freeman
3 Senators subpoenaed on Aqueduct casino deal NY Times
Outcry as Transit Board readies service cuts NY Times
Former chief inspector admits taking bribes for lies NYT
11 firms plan wind farms in Lake Ontario and Lake Erie D&C
Marcellus shale controversy leads to EPA study D&C

Paying the price for fancy packaging An emerging concept called "product stewardship" is the keystone of a draft report to be released soon by the state DEP Times Union

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Our most recent posts:
New Jersey’s public pension & benefits reform 
NJ bill prohibits rules exceeding federal standards Text of NJ Gov. Christie’s Budget Address
NJDEP nominee sails through committee
Listen live to hearing on NJDEP chief
NJ Legislature:Environmental agenda Mar 15-18

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Week’s top environmental news: Mar. 22-26 2010 Read More »

New Jersey’s public pension & benefits reform

Members of the CWA Local 1031 protest against proposed 12-day furloughs, layoffs and wage freeze by Gov. Jon Corzine's new budget, outside NJCU in Jersey City, Tuesday, April 7, 2009. -- REENA ROSE SIBAYAN / THE JERSEY JOURNAL -- REENA ROSE SIBAYAN / THE JERSEY JOURNAL

Staring down the barrel of government bankruptcy after years of overspending and borrowing, the New Jersey Legislature brushed aside protests from public employee unions and rushed through a package of bills designed to reign in the state’s runaway pension and benefit system. Within hours of final passage on Monday, Governor Chris Christie signed into law the three-bill reform package—the first legislation he’s signed since taking office in January. The New Jersey State League of Municipalities provided the following summary of the legislation for its members.

[To view a complete copy of any of the bills, click on the bill number. If clicking doesn’t work, hold down your CTRL key and left-click]
S-2/A-2461

  • Limits enrollment to defined benefits plans to full-time employees instead of the compensation threshold currently in PERS. For local government, full-time employees must work 32 hours per week. Employees working less than 32 hours prior to the law going into effect would continue in the pension system as long as they remain continuously employed.
  • All new part-time employees, defined in the law as those working less than 32 hours per week, no longer qualify for PERS but will go into the Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.
  • Increases the compensation requirement to join the Defined Contribution Retirement Plan from $1,500 to $5,000.
  • The calculation for pension benefits returns to N/60 for all new employees in the PERS. The Veterans status remains unchanged.
  • Changes pension calculations from the highest 3 years to highest 5 years for all new employees in PERS and from the highest 1 year to highest 3 years for all new employees in PFRS. The Veterans status remains unchanged.
  • For PFRS only, imposes the salary cap linked to Social Security maximum contribution limit on future employees and repeals the benefit enhancement. The enhancement allows PFRS members to retire with 75% maximum compensation if the retirement fund reaches a 104% funding level.
  • Requires PERS employees to designate one job for one pension. The position with the highest compensation would be used. This provision does not affect current PERS employees with several jobs as long as they remain continually employed by the same multiple municipalities.
  • For new hires, repeals the statutory non-forfeitable rights provision for all employees in State-administered retirement systems. For non-union employees this would take effect on or about May 21, 2010, the effective date of the bill.
  • Eliminates the Prosecutors Part of PERS.


S-3/A-2460

  • It is anticipated that S-3 will save municipalities and school districts $314 million by fiscal year 2011.
  • Requires all current local employees to pay at least 1.5% of their base salary towards health benefits after expiration of current contract.
  • Requires all newly hired local employees, when they retire, to pay at least 1.5% of their base pension toward health benefits.
  • For future retirees, eliminates the waiver of the 1.5% for participating in the Wellness Program.
  • Allows local governments the ability to negotiate a coverage plan offered by the Health Benefits Commission through collective bargaining agreements.
  • Requires that all changes made with the State employees’ health benefit coverage through negotiation be applied to local government employees covered by the State Health Benefits Plan.
  • Requires new local employees to work at least 25 hours per week to qualify for health benefits. A local employer could decide to impose a higher threshold of hours per week, but the minimum is 25 hours.
  • Limits the current financial incentive to waive State Health Benefits Plan to 25% of the cost or $5,000, whichever is less.
  • Prohibits duplicate coverage under the State Health Benefit Program.


S-4/A-2459

  • For newly hired local government employees limits sick leave payout to $15,000.
  • Permits only one year’s worth of vacation time to be carried over year to year for new local government employees.
  • For PERS, replaces ordinary disability and accidental disability pension benefits with private disability insurance coverage.

Related:
Christie signs pension reform bills
Christie signs pension, benefits changes
Why I’m not excited about those pension-reform bills
The NJ pension crisis: How did we get here (video)

Our most recent posts:
NJ bill prohibits rules exceeding federal standards
Text of NJ Gov. Christie’s Budget Address
NJDEP nominee sails through committee
Listen live to hearing on NJDEP chief
NJ Legislature:Environmental agenda Mar 15-18

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New Jersey’s public pension & benefits reform Read More »

NJ bill prohibits rules exceeding federal standards



A New Jersey Assembly committee today will take up A-2486, a bill that prohibits the adoption of new rules exceeding federal standards unless specifically authorized by state law.

The legislation is sponsored by Assemblyman John Burzichelli, a Democrat representing portions of Salem, Cumberland and Gloucester counties.

The Assemblyman is chairman of the Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee, the panel that will consider the bill today at 2 p. m. in Room 13 on the fourth floor of the State House Annex in Trenton, NJ.

The bill requires that notice of any rule proposing to exceed federal standards must contain:

* A copy of the specific State law allowing the adoption of rules or standards that exceed federal standards or requirements

* Written justification for the exceedance, and,

* A copy of supporting documentation or analysis used by the State agency to justify the stricter standards or requirements.

Our most recent posts:

Text of NJ Gov. Christie’s Budget Address

NJDEP nominee sails through committee

Listen live to hearing on NJDEP chief

Listen live to hearing on NJDEP chief

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NJ bill prohibits rules exceeding federal standards Read More »

NJDEP nominee sails through committee


“DEP desperately needs leadership, management and direction, ” Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner designee Bob Martin told members of the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday at his confirmation hearing in Trenton.

If anyone disagreed with that assessment, or with Governor Chris Christie’s choice of Mr. Martin as the person to provide that leadership, management and direction, it wasn’t obvious, as his nomination sailed through the committee without a ripple of opposition.

That outcome was not a foregone conclusion, as a few environmental activists, prejudging the new governor to be ‘anti-environment,’ have been campaigning to submarine several of his early initiatives.

For example, in a March 1 news release, on the eve of the first meeting of the governor’s Red Tape Review Group, the Sierra Club proclaimed:

“The war on the environment begins. These meetings are an excuse to weaken environmental protections and turn New Jersey over to the special interests. The Christie Administration is hiding behind red tape as a way to weaken protections.”

When Gov. Christie announced the formation of a panel to investigate the possible privatization of some government functions, the Sierra Club called that effort “part of an overall plan to weaken environmental protections and enforcement in New Jersey. ”

“Outsourcing could give the Highlands Council over to Hovnanian or air permitting over to DuPont,” declared Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel.

The majority of the state’s numerous environmental organizations, however, have played no part in the attacks, apparently deciding to give the new administration the chance to prove itself.

One group that supported Christie’s election–the New Jersey Environmental Federation–said yesterday that Martin ” has the kind of private sector experience we need in the department and strong pro-environmental positions.”

For his part, Martin did not appear at all defensive about his role or that of the agency he will be leading.

“DEP is broken and needs to be fixed,” he told the committee. “We must and we will make dramatic changes to how we fundamentally do business at at the DEP. I reject the premise that we must choose between a healthy environment and a vibrant economy. We can have both with the right leadership and our resolve to changing the old paradigm. “

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What do you think? Is DEP broken? Is Bob Martin the guy to fix it? What are your thoughts about the governor’s plans to fix the state’s economy? Is a radical change at the DEP necessary to keep existing business and entice new business into the state? Use the comment box below. If it isn’t visible, activate one by clicking on the tiny ‘comment’ line.


NJDEP nominee sails through committee Read More »