EnviroPolitics Blog

Looking to capitalize on fast-growing, bird-watching trend, New York opens first segment of state Bird Trail

NYDEC recently announced the grand opening of the first segment of the New York State Birding Trail at the Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island.

The Birding Trail is a new initiative to highlight the state’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities, as birdwatching has quickly become one of New York’s fastest-growing recreation and tourism activities.

The New York State Birding Trail is managed by DEC in collaboration with partners in each region of the state, including the National Park Service, State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and NYC Parks.

The statewide Birding Trail, part of the State’s Adventure NY initiative to connect more New Yorkers with nature, is expected to be complete in 2022.

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The New York State Birding Trail will include a network of promoted birding locations that can be accessed by car or public transportation, providing an inclusive experience for all visitors to find birds amid beautiful natural settings with little or no cost or investment in equipment.

DEC will open new segments of the Birding Trail as they are completed in a phased approach. Once finished, the Birding Trail will provide birding opportunities for everyone, regardless of age, ability, identity or background, across New York State.

DEC is coordinating the New York City segment of the trail in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and NYC Parks, along with Empire State Development’s Division of Tourism – I LOVE NY, and New York City Audubon.Read DEC’s news release for more information.

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Want to protect pollinators? Jersey’s got a plate for that

*Black Swallowtail butterfly (SenateNJ.com)*

Legislation sponsored by New Jersey State Senator Kip Bateman to create special license plates expressing support for the state’s native pollinators was signed into law on October 27, 2021 .

“New Jersey would not be the Garden State without the contribution of nature’s pollinators,” said Bateman (R-16). “From the gardens we grow to the produce we purchase at a local farmer’s market, many of our fruits, vegetables, and flowers depend on pollinators like bees and butterflies. The ‘Protect Pollinator’ license plates will ensure Jersey Fresh plants and crops grow strong for generations.”

Black Swallowtail butterfly — Senator Kip Batemen

Under the new law, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission is required to create “Protect Pollinator” license plates, featuring a design and slogan that expresses support for New Jersey’s native pollinators.

“With a third of crops grown in New Jersey dependent on pollinators for reproduction, the creation of these plates will help the Garden State flourish,” said Bateman, who credited an avid gardener who lives in his district with bringing the idea to his attention.

Pollinators, including bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, and others, are responsible for reproduction in 90 percent of the world’s flowering plants, including food crops, by spreading pollen from flower to flower.

Applicants for the license plate will be required to pay an initial fee of $50 and a subsequent $10 fee to renew the license plates.

Any monies from application fees that are not used to administer the license plate program would be deposited in this fund and annually appropriated to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and to the Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program.

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NYDEC Denies Title V Permit for Astoria Gas Turbine Power Plant

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the agency’s denial of the required Title V air permit for Astoria Gas Turbine Power, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy.

DEC said it had conducted a comprehensive review of Astoria NRG’s application and supporting materials, as well as the more than 6,600 public comments received on the project, before reaching this decision.

DEC said it concluded that the proposed project did not demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

“The proposed project would be inconsistent with or would interfere with the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits established in the Climate Act,” DEC said in a news release. “Astoria NRG failed to demonstrate the need or justification for the proposed project notwithstanding this inconsistency.”

The full decision is outlined in a letter (PDF) by Daniel Whitehead, Director, Division of Environmental Permits, DEC.

Related energy/environment news story:
NRG’s Astoria Power Plant Proposal Gets Thumbs Down From NY’s Congressional Delegation

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Old Army Base in NJ Eyed by Netflix for Major Production Hub

The streaming service said it would bid for a nearly 300-acre chunk of Fort Monmouth and it has the support of Gov. Phil Murphy

Bids for Fort Monmouth, roughly 50 miles south of New York City, are due on Jan. 12.

By Brooks Barnes and John Koblin New York Times

Netflix wants to turn a crumbling Army base in New Jersey into one of the largest movie and television production hubs in the Northeast, a plan that has at least one important proponent: Gov. Phil Murphy.

On Tuesday, Netflix said it would bid for a 289-acre chunk of Fort Monmouth, about 50 miles south of New York City in the boroughs of Oceanport and Eatontown. The 96-year-old base — used by the United States to develop radar technology and where a civilian engineer, Julius Rosenberg, infamously began his espionage career — was closed by the Pentagon in 2011 as the military cut spending.

Bids for the site are due Jan. 12, and Netflix would not discuss the price it planned to offer. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority has appraised the site at $54 million, but several developers previously offered more than $100 million for just 89 acres of the land in consideration. (Those plans fell through.) Netflix said in a statement that it would transform Fort Monmouth into a “state-of-the-art production facility,” indicating a mix of soundstages, postproduction buildings and backlot filming areas.

“Governor Murphy and the state’s legislative leaders have created a business environment that’s welcomed film and television production back to the state, and we’re excited to submit our bid,” Netflix’s statement said

Read the full story here

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California got a lot of rain, but not nearly enough to end the drought

By Scott Wilson New York Times

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The torrential rain that fell on much of California in recent days recharged rivers, filled storage tanks and prepared the ground for the next storm, providing what many climate experts say is an auspicious start to the winter.

But the rainfall, which set records in some northern cities, was not nearly enough to end the state’s deep drought, now affecting 37 million of California’s 40 million residents.

One reason is simple. The deficit of water from a drought now entering its third year is too great to be made up with just one storm, no matter how powerful it may have been. Compounding the problem, California’s warming climate is undermining its ability to dent its droughts in the long term, even when the rains do come.

The storm did leave several feet of snow in the high Sierra Nevadas. But warmer-than-usual weather meant that snow did not accumulate at lower altitudes where it once would have. The Sierra snowpack is the key to California’s water, filling rivers and reservoirs with a steady stream of cool water as it melts in the spring.

Read the full story here

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$10,000 invested In Tesla 10 years ago is worth how much now?

By MATT KRANTZ Invetor’s Business Daily

It’s been an amazing decade-long ride for Tesla (TSLA) investors — literally better than any other S&P 500 stock. It’s a millionaire maker.

The consumer discretionary stock debuted on June 29, 2010, and it’s up a stunning 21,323% since then to a new high Monday of 1,023.59. Tesla outperformed every single large stock currently in S&P 500 plus all those on the midsized S&P 400 and S&P 600 small caps on a percentage basis, shows an Investor’s Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSmith.

If you invested $10,000 with founder Elon Musk 10 years ago, your stake would be worth $1.8 million now. That works out to a more than 68% average annual return. The same $10,000 put into the S&P 500 during that time grew just 272% to $37,115. That’s just 14% compounded annually.

Who’s better to bet on than Musk? Not many people. None rival Tesla’s sheer wealth creation power.

The $1 Trillion Company In The S&P 500

The magnitude of Tesla’s boom is almost difficult to fathom.

Over the past roughly 10 years, Tesla’s market value soared $1 trillion to hit $1.01 trillion. It’s already the fifth most valuable company in the S&P 500, ahead of Facebook (FB).

And at its current value, Tesla is worth roughly five time more than Toyota Motor (TM), making it the most valuable automaker in the world.

What about General Motors (GM) and Ford (F)? They’re almost rounding errors. Tesla is worth roughly seven times General Motors and Ford, combined.

And that’s no mystery for growth investors who know what to look for.

Shares of GM are up about 131% in the 10 years since being relisted in November 2010 following the 2008-2009 Financial Crisis bailouts. And Ford? Shares are up just 61% in the 10 years since Tesla went public.

Read the full story here

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