EnviroPolitics Blog

Dangerous Snow Squalls Forecast Today in New Jersey

*Snow squalls are expected Sunday afternoon in New Jersey. (Shutterstock)*

MOUNT HOLLY, NJ — Drivers, beware: Snow squalls are in the forecast this afternoon in New Jersey.

An Arctic cold front accompanied by an abrupt wind shift and increase in wind speeds as well as possible snow showers and squalls was expected to start around noon in the area of Trenton, Flemington, and Morristown before moving southeast toward Long Branch, Toms River and Atlantic City, authorities said.

The squalls were particularly likely north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor, according to the National Weather Service at Mount Holly. The front was expected to reach the coast between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

“If a Snow Squall Warning is issued for your area, delay travel,” the service said in a social media post. “If you’re driving, find a place to pull safely off of the road.”

The short but intense snowfall bursts can quickly reduce visibility and create whiteout conditions when accompanied by gusty winds, sometimes causing roads to become icy in minutes and leading to chain-reaction crashes.

“There is no safe place on a highway during a snow squall event,” according to a graphic posted by the weather service. “Consider an alternate route or delaying travel, reduce speed and turn on headlights.”

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Maine’s historic landmarks under siege from powerful storms

Efforts to cleanup rubble from the midweek storm and stabilize what remains are adding a sense of urgency at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and other hard-hit areas along the state’s coast

Steve Hendrix of the Bristol Parks & Recreation Department recovers items from the Bell House at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park. High waves and strong winds carried away two of the structure’s walls. In a stroke of luck, the fog bell, left, was recently removed from its perch on the structure because of wood rot, said Shelley Gallagher, director of Bristol’s Parks & Recreation Department. Otherwise, it would have been lost in the storm, she said. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

By Kay Neufeld, Portland Press Herald

Shelley Gallagher was busy Thursday assessing the damage the midweek storm wreaked on the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park, one of Maine’s iconic landmarks.

But it’s been a challenge for the director of Bristol’s Parks & Recreation Department to fulfill that responsibility this week. Pemaquid Point was battered by high waves and 79 mph winds on Tuesday night and Wednesday, Gallagher said. The gusts and surges toppled an entire wall of the historic Bell House, scattering bricks and exposing its interior to the elements.

“We have security cameras, so first thing I did this morning is I looked to see to make sure the lighthouse was actually still standing,” she said.

The lighthouse tower is still in good shape. And, as luck would have it, the actual bell was not swept away because the town had moved it inside the house in August to address issues with its stand. Gallagher is confident that the Bell House can be restored to its former glory.

Mills declares civil emergency for coastal counties dealing with flood damage

But picking up the pieces and charting a plan will be all the more difficult with another storm en route for Friday night through Saturday, expected to once again flood the coast and bring in hurricane-force winds. And Gallagher is worried, knowing that this week of weather isn’t simply a fluke.

Read the full story here

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Delaware’s climate case can go forward, mostly intact

By Jennifer Hijazi, Bloomberg Law

Delaware’s Superior Court will allow the state’s climate deception suit to move forward while granting some concessions to BP America Inc. and other industry defendants.

In a decision issued on Tuesday, Judge Mary M. Johnston scrapped claims of misrepresentation against certain individual companies and also claims regarding global emissions that don’t originate in Delaware. She wrote that claims against emissions “from out-of-state or global greenhouse emissions and interstate pollution” are preempted by the Clean Air Act and beyond the limits of state law.

Johnston did, however, find that “the CAA does not pre-empt state law regulation of alleged claims and damages resulting from air pollution originating from sources in Delaware. Air pollution prevention and control at the source is the primary responsibility of state and local governments.”

The judge also denied companies’ other major arguments against the case, including claims that the lawsuit raises nonjusticiable political questions.

Delaware’s attorney general filed the case in September 2020, joining other states, cities, and counties looking to hold energy companies liable for allegedly misleading climate change statements.

Read the full story here

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Using bird deaths to stymie your energy opponents

A cow grazes on the Shiloh II wind farm near Bird's Landing, Calif., at the northeastern end of the Bay Area, in 2021.

BY SAMMY ROTH, COLUMNIST, Los Angeles Times, JAN. 11, 2024 6 AM PT

“Golden eagle’s death sparks shutdown of wind farm.”

“Criminal cases for killing eagles decline as wind turbine dangers grow.”

“Proposed wind farm fuels debate about threats and benefits to migrating birds.”

Those are all recent news headlines. You may have seen similar stories over the years, including from the L.A. Times.

It’s not hard to figure out why there’s so much news coverage. Lots of people love birds, and they’re understandably concerned about giant spinning blades hundreds of feet in the air chopping up their favorite critters. The photos are gruesome.

But should we be even more worried about other types of energy development? Like, for instance, oil and gas drilling?

Absolutely, we should, according to a new study.

Read the full story here

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Pa. grants funding for 32 battery-electric refuse trucks

The funding, which will go to two private haulers and three local governments, comes as more diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicle fleets are transitioning to cleaner fuel.

A Heliox electric charging port connects to a Mack Electric heavy-duty vehicle — A model of an electric truck and charging station at Mack Truck’s booth at Waste Expo 2023. *Jacob Wallace/Waste Dive*

By Jacob Wallace, Editor, Daily Dive

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is issuing $39.6 million in state grant funding to assist diesel-fueled fleets in transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, a portion of which will go to Class 8 refuse vehicle fleets.

Five of the listed recipients will acquire a total of 32 battery-electric refuse collection vehicles. The grants will also support building charging capacity for the new vehicles.

The funding comes as the U.S. EPA has indicated it’s close to implementing its Phase 3 rules for heavy-duty vehicles, which would begin transitioning fleets to zero-emission vehicles in 2027. Other states are adopting rules set by California that would require even faster adoption.

Read the full story here

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On the last day of the session, NJ lawmakers pass a pile of bills

By NJ Spotlight

State lawmakers used the final full day of a two-year legislative session to send Gov. Phil Murphy dozens of bills seeking to update everything from protections for domestic workers to how much they themselves are paid.

Amid Monday’s flurry of legislative activity at the very end of a lame-duck portion of the calendar following last November’s elections, Murphy also announced dozens of bills he’s signed into law.

Those new laws include, among many others, efforts to combat an ongoing teacher shortage and to improve the treatment of those suffering from sickle cell disease.

Monday also served as a swan song for a large group of departing lawmakers, including, among others, former governor and Senate president Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) and former Senate Republican leader Steve Oroho (R-Sussex).

On Tuesday, the Legislature will reorganize based on the election results from November. In all, more than 30 new members of the Legislature will be sworn into office and another six are moving up to the Senate from the Assembly.

Murphy, a second-term Democrat, is also scheduled to deliver the annual state-of-the-state address at the State House on Tuesday.

Here’s a closer look at some of the new laws enacted by Murphy on Monday:

‘Forever chemicals’

A new law signed by Murphy bans the use of fire-fighting foam that contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — toxic substances known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in nature. Foam containing PFAS has for decades been used to fight chemical and oil fires, situations where water alone generally isn’t enough to extinguish a blaze.

A growing body of research has linked PFAS exposure to serious health conditions, including increased rates of testicular and kidney cancers, decreased birth weights in infants, and increased risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Firefighters — who are exposed to harmful substances in emergencies while wearing PFAS-containing gear and sometimes using this toxic foam — are experiencing rising cancer rates in their ranks.

The PFAS-containing foam remains an effective tool for dealing with intense fires, and work is still underway to find suitable nontoxic alternatives. Because of that, the new ban will be phased in with a two-year grace period, though certain industrial facilities will get a four-year grace period. But a controversial carve-out is made specifically for oil refineries and petroleum terminals in New Jersey — those facilities will have an eight-year grace period with the possibility of an additional four-year extension.

The bill also allocates $250,000 to the state Department of Environmental Protection, to create a grant program to help small, municipal fire departments dispose of any existing foam stocks. The bill was unanimously passed by both the Assembly and the Senate.

Read the full story here

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