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First Arctic Navigation in February Sends a Worrying Climate Signal

By Laura Millan Lombrana, Bloomberg Green

A tanker sailed through Arctic sea ice in February for the first time, the latest sign of how quickly the pace of climate change is accelerating in the Earth’s northernmost regions.

The Christophe de Margerie was accompanied by the nuclear-powered 50 Let Pobedy icebreaker as it sailed back to Russia this month after carrying liquified natural gas to China through the Northern Sea Route in January. Both trips broke navigation records.

“I am confident that the Northern Sea Route is competitive, that changes in the ice situation and the improvement of marine technologies create new conditions for its development,” said Yury Trutnev, Russia’s deputy prime minister and a member of the supervisory board at Rosatom, the state-owned nuclear corporation that manages the route.

The experimental voyage happened after a year of extraordinarily warm conditions in the Arctic that have sent shockwaves across the world, from the snowstorm that blanketed Spain in January to the blast of cold air that swept through Canada in mid-February, moving deep into the South as far as Texas.

The Arctic is warming more than twice as quickly as the rest of the world and the area covered by ice there has reached historic lows multiple times over the past 12 months. Satellite images show that ice coverage is now 7% lower than the average over the past four decades.

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Action on environmental bills in Trenton

Action was taken yesterday in the NJ Legislature on the following bills:

A1976 – Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to issue up to $20 million in bonds to finance cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in State, local, and school district buildings.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee with committee amendments, referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee

A2863 – Requires public water systems to provide notice of elevated lead levels in drinking water to customers and local officials; requires landlords to notify tenants of elevated lead levels.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee with committee amendments, 2nd reading in Assembly

A3352 – Requires all newly constructed warehouses to be solar-ready buildings.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee with committee substitute, 2nd reading in Assembly

A3619 – Allows commercial farmer to be awarded reasonable costs and attorney fees for defending against bad faith complaints under “Right to Farm Act”.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee, 2nd reading in Assembly

A4552 – Exempts New Jersey Infrastructure Bank projects from certain local bond requirements.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee with committee amendments, 2nd reading in Assembly

A4899 – Extends existing plug-in electric vehicle incentives to plug-in electric motorcycles.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee with committee amendments, 2nd reading in Assembly

A5053 – Amends list of environmental infrastructure projects approved for long-term funding for FY2021 to include new projects and modify estimated loan amounts for certain projects; modifies terms and conditions for certain loans utilizing federal funds.
02/22/2021 Signed by the Governor P.L.2021, c.21

A5054 – Authorizes NJ Infrastructure Bank to expend additional sums to make loans for environmental infrastructure projects for FY2021; modifies terms and conditions for certain loan utilizing federal funds.
02/22/2021 Signed by the Governor P.L.2021, c.22

S767 – Eliminates five percent down payment requirement for local bond ordinances involving New Jersey Infrastructure Bank transportation projects.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee, 2nd reading in Assembly

S968 – Requires public water systems to provide notice of elevated lead levels in drinking water to customers and local officials; requires landlords to notify tenants of elevated lead levels.
02/22/2021 Reported out of committee with committee amendments, 2nd reading in Assembly

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Supreme Court orders Trump to release his income taxes to New York investigators

By Ariane de Vogue, CNN Supreme Court Reporter

(CNN) The Supreme Court cleared the way for a New York prosecutor to obtain former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, dealing a massive loss to Trump who has fiercely fought to shield his financial papers from prosecutors.

The documents will be subject to grand jury secrecy rules that restrict their public release.

The ruling is a bitter loss for Trump, even if the tax records are shielded from public disclosure, after he consistently argued that the subpoena issued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was overbroad and issued in bad faith.

Yes, Donald Trump is in very *real* legal jeopardy It means that the grand jury investigation into alleged hush money payments and other issues will no longer be hampered by Trump’s fight to keep the documents secret.

The ruling was issued without comment or noted dissent.
Vance celebrated the order, saying in a tweet, “The work continues.”

Read the full story

Related news stories:
Supreme Court again rejects Trump’s bid to shield tax returns (Washington Post)
Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Final Bid to Block Release of Financial Records (NY Times)

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NJ Assembly committee to hear testimony on climate impacts

The Assembly Special Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources will meet remotely on Monday, February 22, 2021 at 10:45 AM.

The committee will receive testimony from invited guests concerning the impact of climate change and how variable weather patterns, sea level rise, and rising temperatures would exacerbate issues like flooding, water supply problems, and State or regional droughts.

Due to the public health emergency, the State House Annex remains closed to visitors. The public may not attend the committee meeting in person but may view the meeting via the New Jersey Legislature home page at https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/.

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NJ Senate Approves bill to upgrade aging water and ventilation systems in schools and small businesses

The Senate Thursday approved legislation sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senator Troy Singleton that would help schools and small businesses in New Jersey upgrade their water and ventilation systems to protect the health of students, educators, customers and workers.

The bill, S3033, would establish the School & Small Business Energy Efficiency Stimulus Program within the Board of Public Utilities to provide the resources to ensure that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in schools and small businesses are upgraded to improve the health and safety of the environment and to allow safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will also fund improvements to old, inefficient plumbing fixtures that waste water and energy.

The legislation would create two separate sub-programs to administer the water system improvements and ventilation upgrades. It would allocate 25 percent of the funding for water systems and 75 percent for ventilation / HVAC systems. Further, the bill is expected to create jobs around the state.

The program would be funded by the Societal Benefits Charge, an existing surcharge on the energy bills of New Jersey’s seven investor-owned electric public utilities and gas public utilities, and would make use of other resources. President Biden’s economic relief plan, which includes $130 billion for schools, could be another potential source of funding.

The Senate vote was 24-9. The measure now goes to the Assembly where an identical version, A4819has been referred to the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.

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NJ legislation would trigger review of all proposed and adopted rules and regulations

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho (R-24) and Senator Paul Sarlo (D-36) that would establish the Government Efficiency and Regulatory Review Commission was cleared by the Senate today and now moves to the Governor’s desk for consideration.

The bill, A-4810/S-441, would improve government efficiency and reduce damaging regulations in the state.

“With the commission’s help, we can ease the impact of restrictive government regulation in the state, something that is desperately needed and long overdue,” said Oroho. “The overwhelming glut of onerous laws and rules are responsible for our State’s reputation as unfriendly to business. By targeting and eliminating the most damaging examples of counter-productive bureaucratic overreach, we can rebuild our competitive edge and restore New Jersey’s position as an economic powerhouse.”

The nine-member Government Efficiency and Regulatory Review Commission established by the legislation would evaluate all proposed and adopted regulations, rules and executive orders. The commission would consider the impact of rules on the economy and determine if their benefits outweigh the burdens placed on business and government.

“Bureaucratic red tape has a stranglehold on the state’s economy, and the situation seems to compound every year,” Oroho noted. “With this bill we can begin unraveling the web of rules, regulations and edicts that discourage business and limit growth.”

The members of the commission, representing the Executive and Legislative branches of State government, would be committed to the goal of addressing the State’s economic viability and prosperity, according to the bill.

The legislation requires the commission to deliver an annual report to the governor and Legislature with recommendations on items to repeal or amend. The findings are advisory only, and cannot be used for legal challenges.

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