EnviroPolitics Blog

NY Sea Grant and DEC Announces $460,000 in Grants

Funding to Support Local Priorities to Restore Great Lakes

From the New York Department of Conservation Resources

New York Sea Grant, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), today announced funding is now available for projects that apply an ecosystem-based management approach to address local watershed challenges.

Projects will implement the goals of New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda and address actions specifically identified in locally supported plans pertaining to water quality, natural resources, or sustainable land uses. A total of $460,000, with up to $50,000 per project, in New York Great Lakes Basin Small Grants will be awarded.

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County and local government or public agencies, municipalities, regional planning and environmental commissions, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions including, but not limited to, public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, are eligible to apply.

Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. EST on March 1, 2023; instructions are online at the New York Sea Grant website. For more information, contact New York Sea Grant at 716-645-3611.

For more information on New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda, go to DEC’s website. More information on New York Great Lakes Basin Small Grants projects and other New York Great Lakes-related information is available at New York Sea Grant’s website.

New York Sea Grant is a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, and one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program. Since 1971, New York Sea Grant has promoted coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the state’s marine and Great Lakes resources. New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices in Buffalo, Newark, and Oswego. The public can connect with New York Sea Grant at their website and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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Sen. Bob Casey says he expects full recovery from prostate cancer

By Erin Doherty, Axios

Senator Bob Casey (D- PA) addresses supporters before former President Barack Obama speaks. — Sen. Bob Casey (D- Pa.) addresses supporters before former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally on September 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) announced Thursday that he was diagnosed last month with prostate cancer, noting he has an “excellent prognosis.”

Driving the news: “In the coming months I will undergo surgery, after which I am expected to make a full recovery,” he said in a tweet.

“I am confident that my recommended course of treatment will allow me to continue my service in the 118th Congress with minimal disruption, and I look forward to the work ahead,” he said.
“While this news came as a shock, I can report that I have an excellent prognosis, as well as the benefit of exceptional medical care and the unwavering support of my family,” he also said.

The big picture: Casey is one of two Democrats from Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate after Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was sworn in this week.

If you liked this post, you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

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New Jersey shore town faces off in court with state DEP over disappearing dunes

North Wildwood sand dunes — North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello looks at materials to build a bulkhead, Wednesday, Jan. 04, 2023. New Jersey DEP is suing the city of North Wildwood over plans to build a bulkhead, from 13th to 16th Avenues, to reinforce the sand dunes. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

By Steven Rodas | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comface

Morning trips to the beach in North Wildwood are routine for Mayor Patrick Rosenello, who has lived in the city since 1977.

To appreciate the views sure, but lately to survey sand dunes which until recently were the only thing standing between homes and waves prone to become fiercer amid storms.

Last October, the remnants of Hurricane Ian wiped away about 80 feet of sand dunes there. While the city reinforced the area, that dwindled to about 30 feet in December.

Where does it stand in the New Year?

“Literally 10 feet, I walked it this morning. There’s nothing left,” Rosenello told NJ Advance Media.

To better protect residents and homes in North Wildwood — where about 5,000 people live and as many as 40,000 visit each summer — Rosenello said the city plans to build an $800,000 steel bulkhead on the beach near 15th Avenue.

In October, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection blocked the town’s emergency request to build the bulkhead, pointing to no immediate threat to loss of life nor severe property loss, court documents showed. But Rosenello disagreed, saying more nor’easters are imminent and reinforcements have been required for years and especially now given the impact of Ian.

The state asked the Superior Court at the end of 2022 to take action by filing a request for a temporary injunction to end the work — equipment to build the bulkhead is already on site. While the emergency action to halt the work was not put in place, the DEP and North Wildwood are due in court Jan. 17, wherein the city will make a case over why the injunction should not be imposed.

Read the full story here

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Hackensack Riverkeeper accepting scholarship entries

Students at sixty-six high schools eligible for Riverkeeper’s environmental award

Hackensack Riverkeeper, the citizen-steward of the Hackensack River Watershed, is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for the 2023 Utzinger-Vellekamp Scholarship. Now in its twentieth-third year, the program honors the memory of two founding Trustees who passed away while actively serving on the organization’s board.

Established in 2001 as the Hackensack Riverkeeper Environmental Scholarship, it was renamed in 2003 to honor trustee Ronald Vellekamp, who died the previous year. In addition to serving on the Riverkeeper board, Mr. Vellekamp was a science teacher, Scout leader, and ranger at Palisades Interstate Park. From 2003 through 2019, the Ron Vellekamp Environmental Scholarship awarded a total of $17,000 to some of the most talented and environmentally literate high school graduates in Bergen, Hudson and Rockland counties.

Margaret Utzinger passed away in August 2018, after devoting over a quarter-century to the Hackensack River, first as co-founder of the Hackensack River Coalition in the late 1980s, then as founding Trustee of Hackensack Riverkeeper in 1997. During her twenty-one years on the board, she served two terms as president and remained an active, engaged trustee throughout. Her name was added to the award in 2020.

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“They say you never forget the people who got you to where you are today – and they’re right,” said founder and Executive Director Captain Bill Sheehan. “Would there be a Hackensack Riverkeeper had Ron and Margaret not stepped up? Probably, but probably not as successful and effective as they helped make it. I know they’d be proud of the work we continue to do and the young scholars we inspire and support.”

The 2022 Utzinger-Vellekamp Scholar was Ms. Ashley Park, of Wyckoff, NJ a graduate of Bergen County Tech, located in Teterboro, NJ. Without question, hers was the most advocacy-driven application ever considered by the review panel. Ms. Park is now a member of Princeton University’s Class of 2026.

This year Riverkeeper looks forward to supporting another college-bound senior who excels academically and who shows a clear, strong commitment to environmental protection.

Teachers and guidance counselors at sixty-six high schools in Bergen, Hudson, and Rockland Counties are eligible to nominate a student for the award. Copies of the scholarship criteria have been sent to the guidance departments at each. Applications must be postmarked no later than Earth Day, April 22, 2023.

The most important requirement is that all applicants live and/or attend school within the 210-square-mile Hackensack River Watershed. A list of watershed municipalities is available at www.hackensackriverkeeper.org. As regards students residing in dual-watershed communities like Paramus or West New York, NJ, or Ramapo, NY, nominators need to ensure a student’s eligibility before submitting an application on their behalf.

The review panel, led by Sheehan and Program Director Captain Hugh Carola, will consider each application and weigh the students’ academic achievements, environmental extracurricular activities, and future plans. The winner of the $1000 unrestricted award will be announced by June 1, 2023.

Additional information and full scholarship application criteria are available on Hackensack Riverkeeper’s website, by emailing Carola at Hugh@hackensackriverkeeper.org, or by calling him directly at 201-968-0808, extension 2.

The Utzinger-Vellekamp Scholarship is supported by members of the Utzinger and Vellekamp families and by Hackensack Riverkeeper’s World Series of Birding team. Additional donations to support the scholarship fund are greatly appreciated. All donations are tax-deductible.

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Philly DA Larry Krasner argues that the courts should step in to block his impeachment trial

Krasner’s lawyers urged Commonwealth Court judges to declare the ongoing impeachment drive legally baseless. Attorneys for the legislature said the process was constitutionally sound.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner at a press conference in November.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

By Nick Vadala, Philadelphia Inquirer

Lawyers for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner urged Commonwealth Court judges Thursday to declare the ongoing impeachment drive against him legally baseless, saying the Republican-led effort in Harrisburg was a dangerous attempt to remove a locally elected Democrat over ideological disagreements — and not impeachable conduct.

During a virtual hearing, Krasner’s attorneys called the impeachment effort a “profound distraction” for the city’s top prosecutor and his office, and said judicial intervention was required to halt what they view as a process marked by fundamental flaws. Krasner is scheduled to be tried by the state Senate next month.

“The stakes could not be greater,” said John S. Summers. What GOP lawmakers are seeking, Summers added, “is not only the erasure of votes and elections, but they are asking for a rule that says any time the majority party doesn’t like the policies of [another] party, we’ll go impeach the guy, and we can get a trial. … That is a constitutional crisis. That is an invitation to chaos.”

Lawyers for Republican legislative leaders took a different view, telling the judges that the House and Senate have acted within their constitutional authority in approving articles of impeachment against Krasner and that the courts, therefore, don’t have a role in a process that remains ongoing.

“The courts have no jurisdiction in impeachment proceedings, and no control over their conduct, so long as actions are taken within constitutional lines,” said Lawrence F. Stengel.

The legal sparring was the latest development in the contentious impeachment effort. Republicans have accused the reform-oriented DA of enacting policies that have fueled the city’s shooting crisis and several other offenses.

Krasner has denied the allegations and said the case against him should be dismissed.

He filed suit in Commonwealth Court challenging the validity of the impeachment drive and submitted a petition earlier this month asking judges to declare the proceedings unlawful. Beyond arguing that legislators had found no evidence of the “misbehavior in office” required for impeachment, his lawyers said the legislature lacks the authority to oust local officials and were improperly stretching impeachment proceedings over two different legislative sessions.

Thursday’s hearing was an opportunity for judges to hear further argument on how or whether they might intervene. They did not make a ruling, or provide a timeline for when they might do so.

Read the full story here

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It’s a dogfight in Harrisburg over which party sets the legislative agenda

The state House is a mess, with each side claiming they are in the majority and Republicans potentially passing amendments after Democrats won more seats.

Democrats in Pennsylvania won the majority of seats in the state House this fall, powered by voter backlash to the fall of Roe v. Wade.

But come next year, it’s anybody’s guess which party will actually hold the speaker’s gavel.

A razor-thin victory by Democrats, combined with a handful of vacancies and the hardball political culture in the state capitol, has kicked off a high-stakes battle for control of the House.

Related:
The four political storylines that defined 2022 | Penn Capital-Star

At the heart of the matter is a disagreement over which party has the right to set the special elections to fill seats that became empty because two Democratic state House members resigned for higher office and another died. Democrats want to hold the contests — which they are expected to win — right away, allowing them to claim their majority next year. GOP legislators, meanwhile, hope to push back the date for three more months, in the process keeping their majority intact.

Both parties see the ensuing fight as not just as a matter of political power, but democratic governance and the rule of law itself. Privately, they fear the next few weeks could plunge the state into an unprecedented level of chaos.

Read the full story here

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