One of New Jersey’s most prominent law firms, Lowenstein Sandler, has announced the layoffs of eight percent of its attorneys. The firm yesterday furloughed 21 lawyers and 32 staff employees and reduced its incoming associate class size by three spots.
They aren’t the only law firm forced to cut back, just the latest.
For details, see the story in today’s New Jersey Law Journal.
Proof of a horrid economy: Lawyer layoffs Read More »
Our thanks to the Forced Green blog for turning us onto the Coen Brothers video below which spoofs the coal industry’s latest ‘green’ campaign slogan.
If their name sounds familiar but you just can’t quite place it, Joel and Ethan Coen are the brothers who directed such hard-boiled films as: Raising Arizona , Simple Blood and No Country for Old Men .
In a totally different vein (no coal industry pun intended), they’re also responsible for what may be the greatest slacker film ever made, The Big Lebowski. If you haven’t seen it, we recommend that you rent it this weekend.
Some Friday fun: Clean Coal Air Freshener Read More »
And despite the fact that the legislation (S-1897 and A-2962) has been amended again and again to meet objections raised by the Sierra Club and others, there’s no guarantee that it will get out of committee this time either.
Wait a minute. Isn’t this the bill that DEP Commissioner Mark 
Mauriello and his predecessor, Lisa Jackson, testified is essential to get cleanups going? Yes it is.
Isn’t this the bill that mirrors a program in Massachusetts that has spurred the cleanup of hundreds of polluted sites over the past 15 years? Yes, again.
Isn’t it a bill personally sponsored by the powerful chairmen of the environmental committees in both houses–Senator Bob Smith (left) and Assemblyman John McKeon? Yup.
Right, again.
So what’s the problem?
Jeff Tittel doesn’t like it.
Actually, it’s just that simple.
Jeff Tittle leads the state’s Sierra Club, an organization you’d think would be screaming bloody murder over the fact that 20,000 sites contaminated sites have been virtually ignored for years.
Isn’t this, after all, the same organization that doesn’t want a single house going up within hundreds of yards of certain streams? Don’t 20,000 aging and possibly leaking contaminated sites pose a far greater threat to groundwater?
So what’s Jeff’s problem?
He says that the legislation, which will allow the DEP to license environmental engineers to oversee individual cleanups, under the state’s oversight, puts the fox in charge of the hen house.
Jeff’s apparently convinced that the owners and managers of highly respected engineering firms are going to risk their professional reputations and their firms’ million-dollar-operations by cutting corners for clients.
What are the chances of that ever happening? If the bill ever gets passed, one imagines some folks actually could try it. But the bill’s significant penalties, combined with DEP oversight and public censure, all combine to argue against it.
But what if some actually did? What if an astonishing 10% of those 20,000 sites did not utilize the very best cleanup technologies and didn’t remove every molecule of contamination?
In fact, let’s pose the worst case scenario. What if 10% of all the cleanups turn out to be absolute frauds?
Well, wouldn’t that still leave 18,000 sites cleaned up? And available for new use–many in municipalities desperate for new business, new jobs and new ratables?
Isn’t that a gamble worth taking? The DEP and the governor and the environmental leaders in the Legislature think so.
But Jeff Tittle doesn’t. And for some reason, on issues like these, his opinion seems to be the only one that counts.
What do you think? Let us know in the “comment” section below.
MORE:
Op-Ed: LSP stands for ‘Lets Stay Polluted’
Op-Ed: New Jersey needs licensed site professionals
Editorial: An imperfect but needed cleanup solution
Jeff Tittel, Jersey’s Enviro-Vigilant Go-To Guy
NJ Licensed Site Professional bill’s encore Read More »
Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey and Pennsylvania that appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of February 16-20
New Jersey Politics
Corzine to replenish one trust fund with cash from another For years, New Jersey’s unemployment trust fund was used as a piggy bank. Now, is it disability fund’s turn? Inquirer
> Governor prepares to take ax to rebates Corzine is running out of options, sources say Star-Ledger
As budget crisis worsens, Corzine seeks 2-day furloughs The governor calls for a two-day furlough of state workers and warns of more furloughs or layoffs if unions do not accept a wage freeze starting in July Star-Ledger Inquirer Gannett
Governor warns layoffs could be next step Gov. Jon Corzine dug in his heels against the state workers unions yesterday, saying a two-day furlough is within his authority to balance the budget and that he will turn to layoffs if a stalemate over wages continues Star-Ledger
NJ may get $6B with new stimulus The economic stimulus bill President Barack Obama is scheduled to sign into law today contains more than $6B for NJ, according to a comprehensive yet preliminary analysis of the $787 billion measure Gannett
New Jersey Environment
Cleanup on tap for Hudson County sites NJ authorities and a Pittsburgh corporation blamed for chromium pollution throughout Hudson County reach an agreement for cleaning up a site in Jersey City within five years. PPG Industries will remediate soil and other sources of chromium contamination on the 16 acre site of a chromite ore refinement plant that operated from 1924 to 1963. The deal will not be finalized until after a 30-day public comment period Star-Ledger Jersey Journal
AAA asks Corzine to veto $9.5M of DRPA plan The AAA Mid-Atlantic auto club asks Gov. Corzine to veto plans by the Delaware River Port Authority to spend $9.5 million on economic-development projects in Camden and Philadelphia, including a President’s House memorial near the Liberty Bell Phila Daily News
‘UFO’ mystery solved… The hot chunk of metal that crashed through the roof of a Jersey City business wasn’t space debris after all. It was the missing tooth of a gigantic wood mulching machine located roughly three football fields away Jersey Journal
…Next mystery: Strange red lights in the sky Daily Record
NRG subsidiary sued by the EPA A subsidiary of Princeton-based NRG Energy Inc is the target of a lawsuit filed by federal environmental regulators that alleges the company’s coal-fired plant in Louisiana does not have proper emissions controls AP
Port Authority to put dredging contract up for bid A multibillion-dollar effort to create a network of deeper channels that will allow bigger ships to safely navigate the Port of NY and NJ has turn into a fight involving political muscle, mounting lawsuits and other battles among companies looking for a piece of a $2.5 billion project. The fight is expected to get even more complex after a decision behind the scenes last week to bid a crucial part of the contract Star-Ledger
New Jersey’s enviro-vigilant, go-to-guy
Over the past two years, NJ Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel was quoted 400 more times than Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts. The state’s “grumpiest greenie” grouses that Christie Whitman was the ‘brownest’ governor but Jon Corzine might yet outdo her Star-Ledger
The Green Governors It isn’t often people say nice things about New Jersey’s governors. But when it comes to protecting the environment, they deserve some praise Star-Ledger
Bill gives windmills same status as schools, hospitals A bill making its way through the Legislature would declare renewable energy facilities “inherently beneficial,” making them more difficult for local zoners to deny AC Press
Pennsylvania Environment
Pennsylvania announces $21.5M in ‘growing greener’ projects Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the investment of more than $21.5 million in 144 Growing Greener projects to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff and farms, treat acid mine drainage, reduce flooding and improve water quality across the commonwealth PA-DEP
EPA probing creek for fly ash pollution Federal technicians are checking a complaint that fly ash disposed in Mahanoy Township is polluting the mine pool and threatening water quality in Mahanoy Creek Hazleton Standard-Speaker
State out of money for septic-system checks Pennsylvania has run out of money for reimbursing local sewage agencies for most of the cost of issuing permits for and inspecting septic systems AP
Philadelphia weighs trash pickup fee City officials are seriously considering a $5 weekly garbage-collection fee as part of the response to the current fiscal crisis Inquirer
Stimulus to pump billions into PA Separate funds totaling $224M can pay for water infrastructure projects in the state. And alternative energy investments will have access to more than $101M through the state’s energy program Morning Call
Study: Turbine not a threat to birds A nearly two-year independent study finds that a wind turbine poses no overt threat to bird and bat life while it generates supplemental power at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie
Gant Daily
Pennsylvania Politics
Bonus probe costing millions The state legislature has burned through $5.8M in taxpayer money so far on legal fees and other expenses stemming from an investigation into staff bonuses and potential misuse of public resources AP
Fumo trial wraps up A lawyer who told then-state Sen. Vince Fumo he could continue the “normal course of district office business” after a nonprofit organization that he founded was served with a grand-jury subpoena in April 2004 said under cross-examination yesterday that did not mean Fumo could delete e-mails Phila Daily News
A sweeping new plan for Philadelphia schools Controversial proposal includes shutting down failing schools and potentially reopening them as charter schools, reducing class sizes, and overhauling teacher hiring Inquirer
Rendell’s former law firm does well by the DRPA The Delaware River Port Authority spent nearly $2M on outside legal firms in 2007 and 2008, and the biggest beneficiary was the former firm of Gov. Rendell, who chairs the DRPA Inquirer ‘toon
Knocks on budget make Nutter open up With the reputation of his administration on the line, Philadelphia’s mayor shelves what critics view as a go-it-alone governing style for a more transparent approach that harks back to his election campaign Inquirer
Laurie Magid named U.S. Attorney for Eastern PA Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid has been appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, making her the first woman to hold this position in this district Express-Times
*************************************************************
Subscribers to EnviroPolitics get access to full versions of all the top environmental and political news stories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day. They also are alerted to environmental regulations proposed in Trenton and Harrisburg and are able to track all environmental legislation in both states–from introduction to enactment! See what you’ve been missing. Try a no-obligation, 30-day subscription: Free Trial
*************************************************************
Week’s top environmental & political news in NJ and PA: Feb 16-20 2009 Read More »
In a double-edged decision last month, a state court ruled that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection can order responsible parties to pay for Natural Resource Damages (NRD) even if the site contamination occurred prior to the April 1, 1977 adoption of the state’s Spill Act.
The ruling was a defeat for ExxonMobil which, under a 1991 Administrative Court Order, has been remediating refinery sites in Linden and Bayonne while actively opposing the payment of pre-Spill Act NRD claims.
That portion of the decision was a big victory for the state and is likely to lead to substantial financial awards. The state says its prosecution of NRD cases has already produced $55 million for restoration projects.
But the judge also ruled that the state could not recover its attorney fees incurred in pursuit of pre-Spill Act NRD claims.
That has to be a serious blow to the Department since it has used private law firms to pursue virtually all of its major NRD claims on a contingency fee basis.
For more, check out:
Saul Ewing environmental attorney David C. Apy’s analysis of the ruling
N.J. going after ExxonMobil $$$ (Jersey Journal article)
N.J. wins court round in ExxonMobil spill case (NJBIZ)
A September, 2003 DEP policy directive on natural resource damages
************************************************************
Try our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics, free for 30 days
************************************************************
Natural Resource Damages ruling helps, hurts New Jersey’s DEP Read More »
Below are just a few of the environmental and political news stories for New Jersey and Pennsylvania which appeared in EnviroPolitics during the week of February 9-13.
New Jersey Politics
Poll shows Corzine struggling for voter approval Gov. Jon Corzine has an upside-down 34%-51% approval rating and gets a grade of D+ on providing property tax relief, according to a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey poll PolitickerNJ
> Will stimulus package help the governor? In the Lobby
Carla Katz’s in-law pitching book on Corzine Rocco Riccio, a self-described former “street thug,” is trying to publish a book about his one-time friendship with Gov. Corzine, promising to expose details of the governor’s breakup with former labor leader Carla Katz. Riccio, who is married to Katz’s sister Inquirer
‘Doughnut’ towns are just too irresistible A state lawmaker says one way to put property taxes on a diet would be to ditch the “doughnuts” Star-Ledger
New Jersey Environment
Editorial: Reefs and subway cars The Atlantic Ocean is doing what years of debate could not—washing away the delusion that some material dumped off our coast to create artificial reefs is anything but trash AC Press
McGuire Air Force Base gets $3.2M for biofuel project More than 350 “green” jobs could be created in South Jersey with a $3.2M project to produce alternative and renewable energy at McGuire Air Force Base, two South Jersey congressman say AP Press
Editorial: An imperfect but needed cleanup solution A huge backlog of contaminated sites and a relatively small number of DEP case managers to oversee cleanups argue for adoption of Senator Smith’s licensed site professional legislation AC Press
Jackson’s EPA bid has support of many Jersey enviros As Lisa Jackson steps closer to confirmation as chief of the federal Environmental Protection Agency this week, some New Jersey “green” groups are urging the U.S. Senate to separate her record from that of her mentor — Jon Corzine, who they increasingly dub environmentally unfriendly Star-Ledger
NJ Utility Plans Major Solar Project
Public Service Electric and Gas, New Jersey’s largest utility, will seek state approval for a five-year, one-of-a-kind plan to install solar panels on 200,000 utility poles in its service territory, plus schools, municipal buildings, low-income housing and closed garbage dumps New York Times
Corzine endorses Fisher as NJ Agriculture chief South Jersey Assemblyman Doug Fisher has been nominated as the state’s next agriculture secretary — a choice Gov. Jon Corzine endorsed today at NJ’s annual agriculture convention AP
Trump golf course called out of bounds Colt’s Neck’s Environmental Commission says the Planning Board should not allow the Trump Organization to construct a 19th hole in the middle of a conservation easement on its golf course AP Press
Pennsylvania Politics
Rendell says state escaped disaster The dust had not yet settled on the federal stimulus debate when Gov. Rendell said yesterday that Pennsylvania had escaped economic disaster Inquirer
Fumo: ‘I wish I never got elected’ Former Senate powerhouse on the stand for the fourth day at corruption trial Inquirer
> Fumo says he erred on staffer’s work site Inquirer
Salaries of top-paid legislative staffers questioned Facing a $2.3B billion deficit, PA is preparing to cut programs statewide, including possible layoffs, but highest-paid employees in the House of Representatives aren’t feeling the pinch Inquirer
Pennsylvania Environment
Gas drilling spurs major pipeline expansion An expansion of a major Texas-to-New England gas pipeline is being proposed to handle a drilling rush on the Marcellus Shale rock formation in Northeast Pennsylvania Times Tribune
966 homes proposed near Route 230 School Heights Village could become not only become Londonderry Township’s first traditional neighborhood development, but also its largest development , bringing 966 homes and a mix of retail Patriot News Opponents blast plan to reactivate rail line The prospect of a rail line serving a proposed landfill in Rush Twp drew a crowd to an open house Tuesday night, including opponents of both projects Centre Daily
DEP fines Del Monte for wastewater violation Company fined $3,500 for exceeding discharge permit limit last fall PA-DEP
State appeals ruling blocking mercury emissions rules The state DEP has appealed a Commonwealth Court ruling blocking the continued implementation of state regulations that would quickly reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
New funding for small business energy efficiency upgrades The state DEP is making $3 million available on a first-come, first-served basis Lock-Haven Express
Op-Ed: DEP proposal fails to protect our rivers, streams Patriot-News
*************************************************************
Subscribers to EnviroPolitics get access to full versions of all the top environmental and political news stories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York every business day. They also are alerted to environmental regulations proposed in Trenton and Harrisburg and are able to track all environmental legislation in both states–from introduction to enactment! See what you’ve been missing. Try a no-obligation, 30-day subscription: Free Trial
*************************************************************
Week’s top environmental & political news in NJ and PA: Feb 9-13 2009 Read More »
