Pinelands fire expands to 4,000 acres, but now 60% contained

By Earl Hopkins, Philadelphia Inquirer, July 6, 2024, 12:25 p.m.

The wildfire had scorched another 2,800 since it broke out on Friday

A New Jersey wildfire that broke out Friday morning in the Pinelands, resulting in the closure of a popular campground, had spread to 4,000 acres by Saturday, authorities said.

The spread to 2,800 additional acres since Friday night occurred despite overnight crews working to contain the fire, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. Firefighters have made progress, reporting 60% containment Saturday.

The fire, located in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, started at a heavily used Pinelands recreation area. As previously reported by The Inquirer, the blaze grew to 1,200 acres Friday, impacting the area around Apple Pie Hill and Batona Campground.

A hunting club and home that were initially threatened on Friday were no longer considered in harm’s way, the fire service said Saturday.

The Batona Campground in Tabernacle Township will remain closed due to the fire, named the Tea Time Hill Wildfire after a feature on the hiking route from the Carranza Memorial in Tabernacle to Apple Pie Hill, the fire service said. Officials also closed part of the 53-mile-long Batona Trail between Route 532 and Carranza Road, as well as the Tulpehocken Trail from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge.

Previous news reports:
Wild fire continues to spread in South Jersey Pinelands
Pinelands wild fire continues to spread in Burlington County, NJ

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Toxic algae bloom kills off swimming at reservoirs in NJ and PA

*Spruce Run Reservoir in Hunterdon County, NJ. Ankit Sharma photo*

Swimming is banned at Spruce Run Recreation Area in Hunterdon County this summer due to harmful algal blooms that can cause health problems, New Jersey officials said Thursday.

Harmful algal blooms, known as HABs, are a “growing global problem” and have been detected in New Jersey lakes this year at various levels, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Related video below: Swimming at Pinchot State Park remains off-limits (WGAL Lancaster-Harrisburg)

Spruce Run currently has alert levels throughout the park indicating that the level of HABs could cause a moderate risk of adverse health effects. The level of toxins in water at the park is above the public health threshold, according to state officials.

The popular swimming, fishing and boating destination in Clinton previously experienced harmful algal blooms in 2021, forcing the lake to close for swimming.

Spruce Run is the third-largest reservoir in New Jersey, after the Round Valley and Wanaque reservoirs, according to the recreational area’s website. It has 1,290 acres of water and 15 miles of shoreline for recreation.

HABs happen when algae colonies grow and produce toxins that can harm people, fish, marine mammals and birds, experts say.

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, which naturally occur in fresh water, cause most of the blooms in New Jersey. In sunlight and hot weather, cyanobacteria can reach harmful levels, forming toxic blooms that look like blue or green paint spilled into the water.

Read the full story here

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Wild fire continues to spread in South Jersey Pinelands

Pinelands wild fire continues to spread in Burlington County, NJ

Fire officials have ordered everyone to leave the Batona Campground in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County, NJ

UPADTED TO ADD TWO VIDEO REPORTS AT 8:30 PM

By Frank Kummer, Philadelphia Inquirer
Updated July 5, 2024, 4:02 p.m.

A wildfire that broke out Friday morning in a heavily used Pinelands recreation area has grown to 450 acres, forcing closure of a campground and popular part of the Batona Trail.

The fire service announced the closure about 11:30 a.m. By late afternoon, none of the fire had been contained.

Officials ordered everyone to leave the Batona Campground in Wharton State Forest. The campground is in Tabernacle, Burlington County.

The fire impacted the area around Apple Pie Hill, where a fire tower offers panoramic views of the surrounding Pine Barrens and is a popular hiking route.

Officials have closed part of the 53-mile long Batona Trail between Route 532 and Carranza Road. They also closed the Tulpehocken Trail from Apple Pie Hill to Hawkins Bridge.

The blaze has been dubbed the Tea Time Hill Wildfire, named after a feature on the hiking route from the Carranza Memorial in Tabernacle to Apple Pie Hill. Batona Campground is a staging area for many undertaking the hike.

Read the full story here

Wild fire continues to spread in South Jersey Pinelands Read More »

Why Florida utilities have gone bullish on solar

The Sunshine State is finally living up to its nickname

Environmental News

By Craig Pittman, Tampa Bay Times columnist, July 5, 2024

Not far from the musical sign that marks the bridge over the Suwannee River, I encountered what looked to be a former farmer’s field. Now, it had sprouted a new crop: acre after acre of solar panels.

Maybe it’s because I’d been listening to classic rock on the car radio, but my first thought when I saw all those gleaming silver rectangles was a Beatles song: “Here Comes the Sun.”

Our duly elected doofuses have lately taken to sneering at clean energy sources. For instance, our fine Legislature voted to ban offshore windmills, even though nobody wants to build those near Florida.

That bill also deleted most mentions of climate change from state law (as if that will stop it). It prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to endorse a repeal of the state’s clean energy goals.

Read the full opinion piece here

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Highlights of New Jersey’s new state budget

By Janice Wood, Staff Writer, CentralJersey.com

Governor Phil Murphy signed the new $56.6 billion state budget for New Jersey, which includes a significant tax increase on large corporations and substantial funding for property tax relief, public schools, pensions, and community projects.

Key Takeaways:

The budget introduces a 2.5% tax on large companies to fund NJ Transit, making New Jersey’s business taxes the highest in the nation.
Substantial rebates will be available to homeowners and renters through the ANCHOR program, and seniors can look forward to the StayNJ property tax cut.
The budget allocates significant funds to public schools, community colleges, nursing homes, and various local projects, ensuring support for education and community needs

New Jersey’s $56.6 Billion State Budget

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a $56.6 billion spending plan that includes a significant tax hike on the state’s largest corporations to fund public transportation.

Starting July 1, the new 2.5% tax will apply to corporations with over $10 million in profits, adding to the existing 9% corporate business tax rate.

This move aims to generate revenue to support NJ Transit, which faces a nearly billion-dollar funding gap.

New Tax on Large Corporations to Fund Public Transportation

One of this budget’s most closely watched aspects is the new 2.5% tax on corporations with profits over $10 million.

This tax is in addition to the state’s existing 9% corporate business tax rate, making New Jersey the state with the highest business taxes in the nation.

The revenue from this tax will help fund NJ Transit, which faces a nearly billion-dollar funding gap.

Read the full story here

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Vt. climate cost recovery bill becomes law without Gov’s signature

By Jean M. Mosites, Gina Falaschi Buchman of Babst, Calland, Clements & Zomnir, P.C.

On May 30, 2024, Vermont Governor Philip Scott allowed S.259, An act relating to climate change cost recovery, to become law without his signature. S. 259, entitled the Climate Superfund Act, will require the development of claims to shift the cost of alleged climate-related impacts in Vermont onto the companies that produced fossil fuels responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

This bill is the first of its kind to become law in the United States, and similar legislation is pending in Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland. Borrowing some concepts from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), or Superfund, which imposes strict liability for cleanup of contaminated sites on potentially responsible parties, this Act seeks to assign financial liability for climate-related impacts on the companies that extracted and refined petroleum products and other fossil fuels. Like CERCLA, the Act imposes retroactive liability on entities having conducted lawful business activities in the past.

Vermont’s Act establishes a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to be administered by the Climate Action Office of the Agency of Natural Resources. The Vermont Treasurer will be required to assess the cost of GHG emissions to the state and its residents during the period January 1, 1995 through December 31, 2024. The Agency of Natural Resources will apportion liability and make cost recovery demands to “Responsible Parties,” those entities engaged in the trade or business of extracting fossil fuel or refining crude oil responsible for more than one billion metric tons of covered greenhouse gas emissions during the covered period.

Funds received from these companies will be deposited in the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program Fund and used for climate change adaptation projects. A Responsible Party’s first payment would be due six months after the cost recovery demand is made and should be at least 20% of the total demand. Subsequent payments of not less than 10% of the total demand would be due annually thereafter until the entire demand is received.

Read the full article here

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