EnviroPolitics Blog

Vineland, NJ has a new trash-pickup deal

By the Press of Atlantic City

VINELAND — The city and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority have reached a new 17-month agreement for trash and recycling collection services set to take effect Aug. 1 and run through the end of 2023, the city said Tuesday night.

Under the agreement, residents will see their monthly solid waste fee remain $24 per month. However, trash collection will be reduced from twice to once weekly, the city said in a news release. To compensate for the lost trash collection day, residents will be able to request a second 96-gallon trash cart at no additional cost.

The interim agreement will give city officials time to explore long-term options, the city said. City Council voted to introduce the agreement Tuesday.

Vineland will pay the ACUA $194,671.67 per month for trash and recycling collections, according to the agreement.

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It also will pay for all tipping fees charged by the Cumberland County Improvement Authority and is subject to increase based on the number of residences receiving services, according to the agreement.

Additionally, the city will be given a credit for missed trash and recycling collections and their associated costs.

“Two government agencies worked out what should have been worked out months ago,” ACUA President Rick Dovey said.

The authority has been plagued by staffing shortages amid a tight labor market, something Dovey said is a widespread trend.

The labor issues have caused the ACUA to struggle to provide timely trash, recycling and yard-waste pick-up in the municipalities it serves. Vineland, one of three Cumberland County towns for which the ACUA holds collection contracts, was withholding payment from the ACUA for months, citing inconsistent service.

The ACUA chose to terminate its waste-collection contract with the city in March.

Prior to negotiating the new agreement, the city had issued a request for proposal for trash collection and recycling services. Although other companies expressed interest in working with the city, they would have needed to scale up their operations, which required a longer lead time than was available to purchase new equipment, the city said.

“There is no doubt that the ACUA’s aggressive growth plan, coupled with pandemic-driven labor market shortages, led to their collection issues in Vineland,” Mayor Anthony Fanucci said. “Additionally, inflationary pressures on fuel, along with supply shortages, made it impossible for the ACUA to provide future services to the city at the current contract levels. This interim agreement makes fiscal sense for both parties in the short term.”

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NJ to allow steel slag use in construction

By NJ Assembly Republicans

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey will now allow steel slag, a byproduct of the steel and iron recycling process, to be used in construction fill for certain industrial and commercial developments and remediation projects without the need for additional Department of Environmental Protection approval.

In May, the Assembly concurred with the governor’s recommendations to align the uses for steel slag in the bill (A642) with those that the DEP had previously identified as qualifying for exclusion from solid waste regulations. The governor signed the bill into law on Friday.

“Not only does steel slag help to reduce construction costs, but since it is produced through recycling, it is also a sustainable alternative to other aggregate materials,” said Assemblyman Ron Dancer (R-Ocean), a prime sponsor of the measure. “This law lessens our reliance on natural resources like sand and gravel while offering an environmentally sound and economical fill option for developers in New Jersey.”

Under the new law, the use of steel slag cannot cause a violation of drinking and groundwater quality standards, and steel slag remains subject to DEP oversight when it is used in ways not covered by the law.

The Federal Highway Administration estimates that between 7.7 and 8.3 million tons of steel slag are used each year in the United States. The primary applications are its use as a granular base or as an aggregate material used in asphalt or concrete. It can be used as a clean fill in remediation projects where contaminated soil has been removed.

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

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Wharton State Fire consumes 12,000 acres; still burning but mostly contained; campground spared

Previous coverage

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

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NJ forest fire reaches 11,000 acres, likely human-caused

Fire officials have “ruled out natural causes” in their investigation of a blaze that’s spread to more than 7,200 acres of the Pinelands.

Shawn LaTourette, the state Commissioner of Environmental Protection, said the Mullica River Fire could spread to 15,000 acres before it's completely contained. That would make it the largest fire in 15 years, he said at a Monday press conference. — Shawn LaTourette, the state Commissioner of Environmental Protection, said the Mullica River Fire could spread to 15,000 acres before it’s completely contained. That would make it the largest fire in 15 years, he said at a Monday press conference. (Shutterstock)

By Nicole Rosenthal and Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff
Posted Mon, Jun 20, 2022, at 7:18 am ET4 Updated Mon, Jun 20, 2022, at 3:52 pm ET

SOUTH JERSEY — New Jersey officials have “ruled out natural causes” in their investigation of a fire that’s spread to more than 11,000 acres of the Wharton State Forest as of Monday afternoon.

Shawn LaTourette, the state Commissioner of Environmental Protection, said the Mullica River Fire could spread to 15,000 acres before it’s completely contained. That would make it the largest fire in 15 years, he said at a Monday press conference.

“We’ve got to take our use of our natural resources very seriously,” said LaTourette. He and other officials mentioned several ways humans can accidentally cause fires but did not point to any specific one as the reason this latest burn began.

As of 3:18 p.m. Monday, the fire has reached 11,000 acres and is 50 percent contained. The fire was first reported Sunday morning, officials said. No injuries have been reported.

The forest fire service said its firefighters are setting backfires to assist in containing the fire, which is in the heart of the Pine Barrens. Wharton State Forest is the largest tract of land in New Jersey, encompassing more than 110,000 acres in Atlantic, Burlington, and Camden counties. Smoke could be seen as far east as Long Beach Island, the Twitter account LBIweather said. The plume was also visible on the National Weather Service radar.

Read the full story here

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How best to bring wind power ashore in NJ

Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 from 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Please join us for this NJ Spotlight News virtual roundtable as we discuss how the offshore wind industry can best bring wind power ashore while protecting public and business interests.

Opening remarks:
Kris Ohleth, Executive Director, Special Initiative on Offshore Wind

Panelists:
Janice Fuller, President, Mid-Atlantic, Anbaric
Suzanne Glatz, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Interregional Planning, PJM Interconnection
Doug O’Malley, State Director, Environment New Jersey
Madeline Urbish, Head of Government Affairs and Policy, New Jersey, Ørsted

Moderator:
Rhonda Schaffler, Business Correspondent, NJ Spotlight News

See other education and networking opportunities in Enviro-Events Calendar

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‘Rolling outages’ of diesel fuel prompts Pa governor to allow sales of out-of-state fuel

By Ford Turner, The Morning Call, Jun 17, 2022, at 3:30 pm

HARRISBURG — The Wolf administration on Friday acknowledged “rolling outages” of diesel fuel across the state and said it was temporarily dropping a biodiesel requirement — a move that will allow out-of-state diesel to be sold in Pennsylvania.

A trucking industry official told The Morning Call that one of the entities that could not find diesel fuel recently was an ambulance company.

Word of the administration’s action on biodiesel was conveyed by Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding to Gov. Tom Wolf in a letter dated Friday that was shared with the newspaper.

Earlier this week, Republican lawmakers heard testimony that spot outages of diesel were being seen, and that a widespread outage would be “devastating” to the economy.