EnviroPolitics Blog

Solvay removes toxic chemical but is its substitute equally harmful?

By Jon Hurdle, NJ Spotlight

A South Jersey company has been using an unregulated replacement for a toxic chemical at its Gloucester County plant but denied that it is responsible for polluting water, air and soil with a related chemical the company had been using.

Solvay Specialty Polymers said it is using unnamed “process aids” at its West Deptford facility as a substitute for PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid), a type of PFAS chemical that has been linked to cancer and other serious illnesses, and was found at very high levels in a public water well at nearby Paulsboro in 2013.

“Solvay uses these process aids as an alternative to a PFNA-containing material, which was phased out at West Deptford in 2010,” it said in a statement late Friday.

PFNA, which has been used in a variety of consumer products including nonstick cookware, is one of thousands of so-called forever chemicals that don’t break down in the environment, and so persist for years after their manufacture or use has ended. In 2018, New Jersey finalized one of the nation’s strictest health limits on the chemical in drinking water.

Chemical companies are developing replacements for some PFAS chemicals — formally known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — that are increasingly subjected to strict health limits in drinking water, as set by states including New Jersey. Some scientists and regulators fear the new chemicals may be just as toxic as those they replace, but little is known about them and they are not subject to regulation.

Some advocates for stricter limits on the chemicals compare regulating them one by one to playing ‘whack-a-mole’ because replacements are found as soon as health limits are set on so-called legacy chemicals. Some argue it would make more sense to set health limits for the entire class.

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How long will it take to tally the votes in Pennsylvania?

From BILLYPENN

Pennsylvania voters have requested more than 2.7 million mail ballots so far, per this open source tracker.

That’s nearly half as many total votes as 2016.

Since counting these can’t begin till the morning of Nov. 3, we’re not going to know an immediate result. But Secretary of the Commonwealth Boockvar said last week she thinks it could come within a few days, WHYY reports.

With counties working overtime, she expects “an overwhelming majority of ballots” to be tallied by the Friday after Election Day.

Side note: Today is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania, or update your registration if you moved or changed your name. Do that here.

How long will it take to tally the votes in Pennsylvania? Read More »

Stephen N. Adubato Sr., a potent force in N.J. politics, is dead at 87

Stephen N. Adubato, founder of the North Ward Center in Newark.Jennifer A. Hulshizer | Star-Ledger file photo

By Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Years ago, Stephen N. Adubato Sr. ordered up a fake tombstone inscribed with his name and the epitaph he insisted he would take to the grave: He was not a nice guy.

The tombstone was kept on display in his office, as a reminder.

“Nice guys,” he said with disdain, “are those who sit back and do nothing.”

The North Ward Center Inc., a non-profit community service organization he started up in the wake of the city’s 1967 riots, announced Adubato’s death on Friday, saying that he “left a legacy of hope and opportunity for thousands of people.” No cause was given. He was 87.

“He was an original. A character to some, a teacher to others,” said the center, now headed by his daughter, Michele. “He was fondly called “Big Steve” by hundreds of children, and the name stuck, because in many ways he was larger than life.”

A potent, behind-the-scenes force in New Jersey politics whose unseen influence could be felt all the way from Newark City Hall to the Statehouse in Trenton, Adubato was a central political figure, and often a polarizing one, in the state’s largest city and beyond; an old-school power broker who delivered votes — and elections — to those he favored.

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Senate environment committee to meet Monday in Trenton

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 19, 2020 in Committee Room 6, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ.

Due to the public health emergency, the State House Annex remains closed to visitors and members of the public will not be allowed to attend the meeting in person. However, the public may monitor the Committee proceedings on the New Jersey Legislature home page, at https: / / www.njleg.state.nj.us /

The following bills will be considered:

*Revised 10 / 16 / 20 – S697 removed from consideration.

S894 (Pou) – Prohibits sale of paint or coating removal products that contain methylene chloride unless purchaser meets certain safety standards for use.

S975 (Kean) – Establishes trunk fighting as animal cruelty offense and crime of the third degree.

S1034 (Stack) – Provides for spaying and neutering stray or feral cats and establishes fund therefor; designated as “Compassion for Community Cats Law.”

S2515 (Smith) – Establishes recycled content requirements for plastic containers, glass containers, paper carryout bags, reusable carryout bags made of plastic film, and plastic trash bags; prohibits sale of polystyrene loose fill packaging.

Editor’s note: We have learned that the committee will not vote Monday on S2515. The bill is undergoing revision. Chairman Bob Smith is expected to address the bill’s status, likely at the beginning of the meeting.

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Partnerships to strengthen remote and island communities’ energy resilience launched by Department of Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hs announced the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP), a new partnership that will provide resources and access to on-the-ground support for remote and islanded communities in the United States seeking to transform their energy systems and lower their vulnerability to energy disruptions.

This cross-sector initiative will build on tools developed by DOE, pool the technical assets of community-based organizations, and engage DOE’s national labs to work alongside communities pursuing energy transitions. Together, this broad coalition will empower competitively selected communities to plan for, withstand, and recover from energy disruptions.

“Remote and islanded communities face some of the highest energy costs in the United States and are often most vulnerable to disruptions,” said Daniel R Simmons, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “By leveraging, refining, and building on the technical assets and resources of the Department of Energy, and working in partnership with these communities, we believe that this program can enable communities to plan for a more resilient future with more affordable energy.”

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Stormwater, non-point pollution on Assembly panel agenda

The New Jersey Assembly Special Committee on Infrastructure and Natural Resources will meet remotely on Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 2:30 PM.

The committee will receive testimony on stormwater control and reducing nonpoint source pollution in the State’s waterways. Topics include harmful algal blooms, combined sewer overflows, stormwater utilities, and gray and green stormwater infrastructure.

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/.

The committee will take oral testimony from invited guests during the meeting by telephone or video. The public is encouraged to submit written testimony electronically. Written testimony will be included in the committee record and distributed to the committee members. Written testimony should be submitted to OLSAideANR@njleg.org. Invited guests will be sent instructions in advance on registering to testify and submitting written testimony for the committee record and distribution to the members.

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