Gov. Murphy accelerates NJ plans to reduce greenhouse gas to fight climate change

By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Saying “now is the time for bold action,” Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday he’s “fast-tracking” New Jersey’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to protect the state from climate change.

Murphy has set a lofty goal of creating a 100% clean-energy economy in the Garden State, with an 80% reduction in state-generated greenhouse gases, by 2050.

Under an executive order he signed Wednesday, the Democratic governor is accelerating the latter goal to 50% by 2030, the end of this decade. That brings New Jersey’s goals more in line with federal benchmarks set by Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Murphy said it’s especially necessary to find ways to fight climate change immediately as New Jersey continues to face destructive storms such as Hurricane Ida. That storm killed 30 residents and damaged homes across the state in September.

“The science is clear,” he said before signing the executive order at an event in Mount Olive. “More severe impacts are happening now. The time for wakeup calls if frankly long past. And while we can’t turn back the clock, we also can’t keep hitting snooze.”

Read the full story

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. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.l

Gov. Murphy accelerates NJ plans to reduce greenhouse gas to fight climate change Read More »

Superpower antagonists, U.S. and China, rise above their differences to join in effort to combat world’s greatest threat — climate change

The United States and China, the world’s two largest emitters of carbon dioxide, unveiled a deal to ramp up cooperation tackling climate change, including by reducing methane emissions, protecting forests and phasing out coal. Reuters

Superpower antagonists, U.S. and China, rise above their differences to join in effort to combat world’s greatest threat — climate change Read More »

Bill signed in NJ to reduce carbon emissions via new concrete technology

 New Jersey State Senator Kip Bateman’s legislation requiring developers to offer a more environmentally friendly concrete product as an option in new construction is now law.

“We want to encourage the use of concrete products utilizing ‘carbon footprint-reducing technology.’ Concrete is the most widely used construction material, but it is responsible for 8 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions,” said Bateman (R-16). “Technology now allows concrete to be produced with less energy, reducing carbon emissions, and this bill will support its adoption in the marketplace.”

The new law (S3091 / A4933) establishes tax incentives and government purchasing preferences for the use of earth-friendly unit concrete products that utilize the new technology.

Related news:
Low-Carbon Cement Can Help Combat Climate Change
The race to reinvent concrete

A tax credit of $2 per square foot of qualified product, capped at $3,000 for a residential build, and $30,000 for a commercial property.

 “The credits will encourage investment in building material that will reduce greenhouse gas and help reduce climate change,” Bateman said. “It is a relatively painless way to cut our carbon footprint and improve the environment.”

The new law also requires the Environmental Protection commissioner to establish standards and procedures for certifying a concrete product that generates at least a reduction of half the carbon of traditional concrete.

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. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

Bill signed in NJ to reduce carbon emissions via new concrete technology Read More »

NJ Governor Murphy signs environment-related bills into law

Governor Murphy signed a long list of bill into law yesterday. Among them were the following:

    SCS for S647 / A4825 (Greenstein, Singleton / McKeon, Karabinchak, Stanley) – Revises cybersecurity, asset management, and related reporting requirements in “Water Quality Accountability Act”

     S828 / A2101 (Lagana, Greenstein / Swain, Tully, Verrelli) – Requires public utilities and local units to provide notice prior to initiating certain infrastructure projects

     S829 / A2135 (Lagana, Singleton / Tully, Swain, Murphy) – Requires property condition disclosure statement to indicate presence of lead plumbing in residential property

     S830 / A2134 (Lagana, Greenstein / Tully, Swain, Conaway) – Requires public water systems to offer drinking water tests to customers in certain circumstances

   S894 / A3874 (Pou, Greenstein / Lopez, Vainieri Huttle) – Prohibits sale of paint or coating removal products that contain methylene chloride unless purchaser meets certain safety standards for use

   S1010 / A2103 (Lagana, Turner / Swain, Tully, Johnson) – Permits counties and municipalities to bond for alternative fuel vehicles

   S1239 / A5131 (Codey / McKeon, Danielsen, Jasey) – Authorizes imposition of fee for connection to municipal electric distribution system

   S3091 / A4933 (Addiego, Bateman / Burzichelli, Benson, Mukherji) – Requires builders to offer unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint-reducing technology as option in new construction; establishes tax incentives, and State and local purchasing requirements, for unit concrete products that utilize carbon footprint-reducing technology

   ACS for A3352 / S3504 (Kennedy, Stanley, Calabrese / Smith) – Requires certain newly constructed warehouses to be solar-ready buildings

   A3897 / S3263 (Armato, Mazzeo, DiMaso / Beach, Gopal) – Increases fee for New Jersey Waterfowl Stamps

   AJR238 / SJR123 (Burzichelli / Sweeney, Singleton) – Urges U.S. President and EPA to take appropriate action, through waivers and other reforms, to allow blending of renewable fuels under the federal “Clean Air Act”

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. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

     

NJ Governor Murphy signs environment-related bills into law Read More »

Pace Glass, a company with big plans in New Jersey, goes bust

By Jared Paben Resource Recycling

A company working to build a post-consumer glass sorting facility in New Jersey has failed, and its equipment is being auctioned. Meanwhile, environmental regulators are suing the business over contaminated glass piles.

Pace Glass, which already operated a small glass recycling facility in Jersey City, N.J., has been working since 2018 to build what was originally described as a $90 million facility to sort and clean up post-consumer glass for use by bottle producers and other manufacturers.

The facility, in the small central New Jersey borough of Andover, was supposed to be big enough to take much of the glass generated by MRFs in the Northeast region. The construction company working on the project described it as the “world’s largest glass recycling plant with a production capacity of more than 15,000 tons of commercial-grade recyclable glass per week.”

Now, the company has closed and equipment is being sold at court-ordered auctions to pay back creditors, documents obtained by Resource Recycling show.

Additionally, Pace Glass is being sued by the New Jersey authorities.

Read the full story here

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. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

Pace Glass, a company with big plans in New Jersey, goes bust Read More »