EnviroPolitics Blog

On-site solar powers Duke Farms’ E-Vehicle quick-charge station

By Nora DiChiara, Duke Farms

Hillsborough, NJ – Duke Farms, a center of the Doris Duke Foundation, is proud to open the state’s first electric vehicle (EV) fast charging station in Somerset County powered by electricity from an on-site solar energy system. Located along the busy Route 206 corridor, this facility will serve Duke Farms visitors and the local community while also supporting EV drivers passing through the area. The project will not only help Duke Farms reduce its carbon footprint but also contribute to the clean energy and climate goals of the state.

“The new EV charging station, powered by our on-site solar array, demonstrates our commitment to sustainability leadership. By investing in this critical infrastructure and pursuing innovative public-private partnerships, we are accelerating the transition to clean transportation,” said Margaret Waldock, executive director of Duke Farms. “We hope this project will encourage others to take bold steps towards emission-free mobility as well. The climate crisis demands urgent action, and Duke Farms is proud to help lead the way to support creative, transformative solutions for a more sustainable and equitable future.”

With two high-speed chargers capable of delivering 150kW of charging power, drivers can add over 130 miles of range in just 15 minutes. Additional lower power chargers will support the needs of other drivers with more extended stays at Duke Farms. The station has been future-proofed for expansion as EV adoption grows, with the number of EVs on the road expected to triple in the next few years. Duke Farms is demonstrating climate leadership by investing in this critical infrastructure.

This station is one of the first in New Jersey to combine powerful utility incentives from PSE&G with grant funding from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. Solar panels on-site will supply 100% of the electricity needed for the chargers.

Peg Hanna, Director of the NJDEP Division of Climate Change Mitigation and Monitoring shares excitement regarding the charger. “The DEP commends Duke Farms on the opening of this fast-charger station, which is a natural fit for a place that has long stood for environmental stewardship and sustainability. In addition to being ideally situated within the Route 206 corridor, the location for this station provides amenities such as restrooms and a café amid a beautiful natural setting. Projects such as this bring us one step closer to achieving Governor Murphy’s bold, nation-leading clean energy goals that will lead to a healthier, sustainable, and more resilient future for New Jersey.”

Read the full story here

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New ‘microforests’ grow in the city of Elizabeth, NJ

New ‘microforests’ grow in Elizabeth

A pair of “microforests” have taken root in Elizabeth, planted by community groups and local officials hoping to bring new environmental and public health benefits to the city.

The concept, which was first developed in Japan decades ago, is just now catching on in the U.S. The forests, planted on small lots, are designed to be self-sufficient ways to boost tree canopy in urban areas. The trees help lower ambient temperatures — fighting against the urban heat-island effect — help improve local air quality and act as a barrier to stormwater runoff.

See the video here

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Attention Aspiring Food Entrepreneurs

Rutgers University has an informational event for you

Food Business Basics for Food Entrepreneurs
The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers is offering a Food Business Basics session for early-stage entrepreneurs on Thursday, November 2, 2023, from 8:00 am – 5:30 pm at the Rutgers Eco Complex, 1200 Florence Columbus Road, Bordentown, NJ 08505.

Food Business Basics is a unique opportunity for food entrepreneurs to learn critical aspects of entering or growing their business in the prepared food and beverage industry. Attendees will be in front of movers and shakers working in the industry, who will give advice on how to create, commercialize, market, and sell in this competitive market.

Find information on consumer trends, accounting basics, business structure, product development, scale-up, protecting intellectual property, sales strategy, food safety, and more.

Registration fee:
Early bird registration $200 (until 10/19/23)
Regular registration $300 (until 10/30/23)
REGISTER HERE https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/coursedisplay.cfm?schID=90443

About the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University
The Food Innovation Center is a unique food business incubation and economic development program, which is part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Our Center provides business and technology expertise to startup and established food and value-added agricultural businesses, locally and globally. We operate out of two USDA and FDA-certified manufacturing facilities located in Piscataway and Bridgeton, NJ, facilitating the commercialization of products into distribution, while also providing mentoring assistance in marketing, R&D, food safety, regulatory, manufacturing, and sales and distribution.
http://foodinnovation.rutgers.edu/

Attention Aspiring Food Entrepreneurs Read More »

Joe Fiordaliso, NJ Board of Public Utilities President, dies at 78

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Joseph Fiordaliso. (Photo: New Jersey AFL-CIO).

By David Wildstein, NJ Globe, September 07 2023 4:24 am

Joseph A. Fiordaliso, the president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and a fixture in New Jersey politics for two decades, died at his home suddenly on Wednesday evening. He was 78.

As a cabinet member, Fiordaliso was a key ally of Gov. Phil Murphy on clean energy issues. In July, Fiordaliso backed a measure to reduce the state’s dependency on natural gas and move toward expanded electrification over the next twelve years.

In a statement this morning, Murphy called Fiordaliso “a consummate public servant, a trusted colleague, and a good friend.”

“As President of the BPU since the beginning of my Administration, Joe skillfully led our work to responsibly transition to a clean energy economy while always putting the needs of consumers first. He also was a key figure in our storm response efforts and in ensuring that all New Jerseyans had access to critical services like clean water, electricity, and broadband. And, as a former three-time Mayor of Livingston and member of the Township Council, he was a dedicated member of his community,” Murphy said. “Every time you saw Joe, he was wearing his signature offshore wind pin or handing one out to anyone and everyone he met. He had an infectious personality and generous spirit. Tammy and I will miss his wise counsel and friendship. May he Rest in Peace.”

Fiordaliso launched his political career in 1988, winning an open seat on the Livingston Township Council. Livingston voters supported Republicans George H.W. Bush for president and Dean Gallo for Congress, but also Democratic U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg. Fiordaliso led Republican Steve Rockoff by 2,248 votes in an election that flipped two council seats.

Read the full story here

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EPA to add Exide Technologies Laureldale (Pa) site to Superfund list

EPA proposing area surrounding Exide facility for Superfund site

WFMZ-TV / Chad Blimline

From the Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to add the area surrounding the former Exide Technologies Laureldale facility in Berks County, Pennsylvania to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) on September 7. The NPL is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for cleanup, financed under the federal Superfund Program.

“Adding sites to the National Priorities List is the best and quickest way to bring the necessary attention and resources to these areas,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “With each new site added, we continue to invest in the America we all deserve – one with clean soil, air, and water.”

Historic emissions from lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling, primarily in years prior to the installation of emission control systems at the Exide facility, caused the deposition of lead and other contaminants in the surrounding area including surface soils on commercial and residential properties, water bodies and sediments.

Following Exide Technologies’ 2020 bankruptcy, EPA stepped in to remove hazardous substances remaining on the facility to mitigate immediate threats posed to public health and welfare. In 2022, the Agency expanded its work to include decontamination of additional process equipment, containers, and other highly contaminated areas as well as taking over operations of on-site wastewater and storm water treatment systems to ensure that water released from the facility meets appropriate standards.

Because contamination from the former Exide facility also impacted surrounding residential and commercial properties, the site qualifies for the Superfund NPL so that the contamination can be further assessed and remediated. The first step in the NPL process is a formal proposal to the NPL, followed by a 60-day public comment period from Sep. 7 to Nov. 6. During this time, EPA will hold two public information sessions, one virtual on October 4 and the other in-person in the community on September 28. Upon completion of the comment period and review of the public comments, EPA will determine whether to officially list the site to the NPL. A final decision would be expected for Spring 2024.

The proposed NPL site does not include the Exide facility itself. Future cleanup of remaining contamination at the former Exide facility will be overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) in coordination with EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program.

For more information on this site, including details on the public information sessions and how to submit comments, visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/exide-laureldale.

For the Federal Register notice and supporting documents for this proposal, visit: New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.

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Watch Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier Wipe Out a Juneau Home

This Alaskan glacier holds back billions of gallons of water. Until it doesn’t.

A bus crosses over the Mendenhall River on Aug. 8 in Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier is seen on the horizon. (Christopher S. Miller for The Washington Post)

By Joshua Partlow, Washington Post

JUNEAU, Alaska — On the morning of the flood, Amy Ballard arranged her twins, Brighton and Broderick, on a hummingbird-and-butterflyblanket for their photo. The note between their smiling faces read: “We are 7 months old today.”

It had been a tough year for Ballard, an elementary school teacher and single mom. She spent months on bed rest in Anchorage, followed by weeks for her infants in intensive care. But she was backin her third-floor condo overlooking the Mendenhall River, a tranquil, glacier-fed waterway that coursed through her wooded neighborhood before flowing out to sea.

By the end of that sunny Saturday in early August, Ballard had watched the Mendenhall transform into a terrifying torrent of gray glacial silt that ripped down towering fir trees, devoured dozens of feet of riverbank and washed away neighbors’ homes. That evening, sherecorded the scene from her balcony, her voice almost drowned out by the roar of the water: “This may or may not be the last video I get to take from my porch,” she said.

This torrent of meltwater — normally held back by the giant glacier looming above Juneau — known as a glacial outburst flood, dwarfed any that have occurred since the phenomenon began here a dozen years ago.

The destruction has exposed just how unpredictable these floods can be, as glaciers around the world recede amid warming temperatures. Each year, more than a half-million people visit the Mendenhall Glacier, and scientists have a detailed understanding of how meltwater builds up and then pours out of it.

Read the full story and see home destroyed

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