In what is turning into a hugely competitive bidding process, 13 developers have submitted proposals for 80 transmission projects to bring power from offshore wind farms to New Jersey customers.
The bids involve a range of projects dealing with upgrades to power lines on land, beach crossings, and efforts to connect offshore wind farms and facilities. The 80 projects are being reviewed jointly by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the nation’s largest grid operator, the PJM Interconnection.
Upgrading the transmission grid is potentially one of the most critical components in whether the state succeeds in achieving the Murphy administration’s goal of having enough offshore wind turbines to generate 7,500 megawatts of electricity by 2035.
“Transmission is never the sexy part of energy, but it’s the most critical. It is hugely important to make offshore wind work,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey and a strong supporter of developing more offshore wind farms.
The transmission upgrades are expected to be costly. In 2020, the Business Network for Offshore Wind projected that if all the offshore wind farms proposed by New Jersey and four other coastal states are built, it could result in offshore transmission costs of between $15 billion and $20 billion.
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A mayor from the Jersey Shore has been charged with official misconduct and theft for pocketing parking meter money and selling borough furniture, authorities said.
Authorities did not detail the value of the cash and other proceeds allegedly stolen by Paul Kennedy, 66, who serves as the mayor of Ocean Gate.
These charges are the result of an extensive investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Standards/Corruption Unit and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crime Squad, according to Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
NEW YORK (March 17, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is adding 12 sites and proposing to add another five, including the Brillo Landfill, an inactive hazardous waste disposal facility in Victory, New York, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The federal NPL includes sites where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risks.
“A proactive approach in addressing the lingering contamination at the former Brillo Landfill is needed to safeguard local wetlands and mitigate the potential impacts on private drinking water wells,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “With this proposal, EPA is showing the Victory, New York community that historical contamination will not sit idle in their backyards and threaten their wetlands.”
“I’m pleased to see the EPA propose adding the Brillo Landfill in Victory, New York to the Superfund National Priorities List,” said Representative John Katko. “This move would provide federal funding to address legacy pollution in Cayuga County and was made possible by investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I strongly supported. This cleanup effort would provide a long-term solution for our community and I’m glad to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law making a positive impact in Cayuga County.”
“New York State welcomes U.S. EPA’s proposed addition of the Brillo Landfill site and finalization of the Meeker Avenue Plume site to the Federal Superfund Program’s National Priorities List,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Working collaboratively with DEC, our federal partners will deploy the best available science and resources to protect the Greenpoint and East Williamsburg communities by addressing the soil, soil vapor, and groundwater plume in the vicinity of Meeker Avenue, and continue the critical work of preventing potential exposure to the public. DEC remains committed to partnering with the Biden Administration and EPA Administrator Regan to advance the cleanup of former industrial sites in Brooklyn, the town of Victory, and statewide to protect public health and the environment.”
Now closed, the Brillo Landfill accepted a variety of industrial and sanitary wastes, as well as paint and wastewater treatment sludge. As a result, it is currently contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals such as lead and mercury in numerous waste disposal units and surrounding soil. Further NYSDEC investigations in 2021 found similar contamination and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the nearby wetlands, which border Little Sodus Creek.
EPA conducted an immediate removal action to protect public health in June 2018, removing approximately 2,000 intact drums and drum carcasses, including about 8,000 gallons of liquid waste and 782 tons of contaminated soil and other solid debris. However, the site still requires a long-term cleanup to address the remaining contamination. Groundwater sampling results from facility monitoring wells show site-related contaminants above federal and state groundwater standards. NYSDEC has tested private drinking water wells within a one-mile radius of the site and has not identified impacts to these wells at this time. NYSDEC continues to monitor the groundwater for potential effects on these wells.
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The New Jersey Assembly Special Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources will meet at 10 a.m, Thursday, March 17, in Committee Room 9, 3rd Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ.
The committee will hear testimony from invited guests regarding wave energy in the State, including testimony on
the extent to which wave energy is generated and supplied to consumers,
where in the State wave energy is currently generated,
how the State can most effectively harness and facilitate the expanded use of this energy resource,
whether and how the Legislature has previously attempted to address wave energy in the State, and
ideas for future legislative action on this issue.
The State House Annex has reopened to the general public. The Committee will meet in-person and there will not be an option to participate by telephone or video. Masks are mandatory inside the State House Annex, including in Committee Rooms, hallways, and other facilities. Please visit https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/Publications/PDF/JMC%20Rules.pdf for more information.
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Atlantic County commissioners voted Tuesday not to investigate the finances of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority after ACUA President Rick Dovey answered questions about spending $10,000 on a campaign against a proposed trash transfer station. Caren Fitzpatrick, of Linwood, had sponsored a resolution to authorize the investigation but withdrew it later in the meeting.
ACUA President Rick Dovey
She said she felt she had an obligation to question such spending but got the answers she needed. The commissioners unanimously voted to withdraw it.
“To find that $10,000 was spent on what amounts to a campaign not related to trash or recycling … we want to know why,” Fitzpatrick said in explaining the resolution. “That’s what this is about.”
Councilman Ernest Coursey, of Atlantic City, asked Dovey whether he had authorization from his board of directors to start the opposition campaign.
There was not a vote by our board,” Dovey said. “I have the authority to do it, and they ratified it when the bills came due.”
The campaign included yard signs saying “Stop the Dump” and other materials in opposition to the project proposed for a site off Washington Avenue in Pleasantville. Workers installed the signs around Pleasantville using ACUA trucks that are still marked as county vehicles, causing confusion about who was sponsoring the campaign.
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Walmart has announced that it will open a massive fulfillment center in the Shippensburg area.
The retailer will open a more than 1.8 million-square-foot facility at 2281 United Drive in Southampton Township, Franklin County, near Shippensburg, which is expected to open in the spring.
“Walmart fulfillment centers are an important part of the retailer’s supply chain network,” the company said in a news release. “Unlike distribution centers, which are focused on receiving, storing, and distributing product to Walmart stores, fulfillment centers are focused on storing millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped directly to customers as soon as next-day.”
