https://youtu.be/6gP_5QOKhd4
The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ reports COVID-19 cases jumped from 140 on Friday to 198 on Wednesday morning.
Michael Hill reports for NJTV News
A ‘staggering’ increase in coronavirus cases at one hospital Read More »
The U.S. solar and wind sectors got shut out of the last coronavirus stimulus package. The battle is far from over.
By Jeff St. John for gtm
The U.S. renewables industry was left out of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed last week, but the battle is far from over.
Congress is already considering further legislation to rescue the economy from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and renewable energy groups are ready to bring their proposals back to the table.
As with the last stimulus bill, the industry’s plans center on securing changes to two federal policies: the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar power and the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind power.
Instead, they’re focusing on two key concepts. The first is extending “safe-harbor” deadlines for receiving the credits that may be thrown off track by the pandemic’s economic disruptions. The safe-harbor fix could potentially be made by the Treasury Department, without a need for congressional action, at least for solar.
The second is allowing the relatively small pool of tax equity investors in renewable projects to receive some of their value back as refundable credits or via “direct pay” provisions. Tax equity investors are likely to have lower tax liabilities amid an economic downturn and thus less “tax appetite.”
The ostensibly revenue-neutral aspect of these two requests could help differentiate solar and wind from requests for support in other areas like energy storage, and energy efficiency and electric vehicles. President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) opposed efforts to put clean energy support into the last stimulus package, incorrectly conflating them with the Green New Deal and other proposals from House Democrats.
What the Renewables Industry Wants From the Next Stimulus Bill Read More »
The list of those who won’t get a $1,200 stimulus check is growing — and includes some surprising groups
By Heather Long of The Washington Post
April 1, 2020 at 11:34 a.m. EDT
The Trump administration is requiring Americans who receive Social Security to file a tax return to receive their $1,200 economic stimulus payment, an added step that is causing confusion and could prevent millions from easy access to relief.
Many lawmakers and advocates for the poor say filing a tax return shouldn’t be necessary for people on Social Security because the government already knows how to send this population monthly checks. The $2.2 trillion aid legislation, passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, said that if someone has not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return, the U.S. Treasury should get their information from Social Security, if applicable.
But, the Internal Revenue Service posted a notice on its website on Monday instructing Social Security recipients who do not normally send in a return to file a “simple” tax return, which will be available soon.
“People who typically do not file a tax return will need to file a simple tax return to receive an economic impact payment,” the IRS said. “Low-income taxpayers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and individuals with disabilities who are otherwise not required to file a tax return will not owe tax.”
Calculate how much you’ll get from the $1,200 (or more) coronavirus checks
A request to the Treasury Department for comment about the discrepancy was not returned. Democrats are upset that the Trump administration isn’t doing more to help ensure that as many Americans as possible get these payments during this national health emergency.
Thirty-four senators sent the White House a letter Wednesday asking why the Trump administration is placing this “significant burden” on senior citizens and the disabled. Members of the House are also speaking out.
Over 340,000 residents have been on the website since it was launched on March 21; some 44,000 jobs are listed there
By RHONDA SCHAFFLER, NJTV NEWS
By RHONDA SCHAFFLER, NJTV NEWS
Losing your job — even temporarily — is very stressful. And in the midst of the current health care crisis, far too many New Jerseyans are also feeling job and financial stress. A record number of people have filed for unemployment claims as COVID-19 has ravaged the economy.
Efforts to help came quickly from state leaders. And days after businesses began closing, the Murphy administration launched a new COVID-19 jobs portal.
New Jersey’s Chief Innovation Officer Beth Novack says the site is bare-bones and a work in progress and the idea was just to get it up ASAP.
“We’re working hard to improve it, to make it more searchable, more sortable and make it more user-friendly to people. But in the meantime, we were the first state to get something up and have something available,” she said.
The website came together within 72 hours, thanks to the combined efforts of the Office of Innovation, the state Labor Department and New Jersey’s Economic Development Authority.
There are about 44,000 job listings on the website. It’s an easy lift for companies to post jobs, only having to fill out a short form on the website. So far, 500 companies are currently participating.
State Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo says the jobs run the gamut.
“We have employers on there who are big and large who have locations and jobs available across the state. Some are regional. We have some of the biggest names in health care down to Wawa, they are all there hiring folks in New Jersey,” he said.
New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan says that’s welcome news in the midst of the economic downturn.
“There’s tons and tons of bad news, way too much bad news on the economy right now in terms of unemployment, and layoffs and the businesses that are closed. But there’s a surprising amount of companies that are critical to the recovery that need workers. It’s an opportunity to solve short-term challenges,” Sullivan said.
Over 340,000 residents have been on the website since it launched on March 21. But it’s not a cure-all for all New Jerseyans looking for work. There are far more job seekers than jobs available. The hope is, of course, that companies which laid off workers will call them back soon after this crisis has passed.
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NJ’s Newly-launched Jobs Portal Attracts Thousands of Job Hunters Read More »
New York City and San Francisco are including curbside organics collection among essential public services. But fallout from COVID-19 has meant dramatic changes for small-scale composters.
E.A. Crunden@eacrunden reports for WasteDive
Measures imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 are affecting organics recycling, with small-scale community efforts hit particularly hard. City and state governments are also shifting their approach to organics collection, implementing safety measures and in some cases scaling back or suspending programs.
In areas where food scrap recycling access was somewhat limited to begin with, the fallout is already taking a toll. Lynne Serpe, who runs the New Orleans-based Compost NOW, told Waste Dive she typically collects 4,000 pounds of food scraps on a weekly basis. Those volumes have decreased to 1,200 pounds.
The situation could become increasingly untenable as municipalities escalate clampdown policies aimed at protecting public health. “We will keep things going for as long as we can,” Serpe said
Those trends come as the pandemic’s impacts on the waste sector have differed somewhat across the country. While trash collection is largely considered a public health necessity, some areas are suspending their recycling programs amid worker safety concerns and economic realities. Organics recycling, which is still far from widespread, is also facing tense times.
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In New Orleans, Serpe said her operation largely relies on universities and libraries. In an effort to reduce emissions from miles traveled, the program usually hosts 11 drop-off sites around the city during most days of the week. But measures associated with the pandemic have drastically changed that. “Last week, I hosted collection at my house,” she said.
Small-scale composting can rely on volunteer labor that often skews older. With that demographic among the most vulnerable to the virus, many are now staying home, leaving such efforts without labor on hand. That decline has hit Serpe’s program, along with a “stay-at-home” directive in place across New Orleans. But Serpe said she is working to adapt and keep her project alive through a combination of measures, including scaling down operations. She has also asked some local farms to allow residents to directly drop off scraps, while seeking other ways to offer multiple collection sites.
“We’re also making sure in all of our messaging… not to encourage people to make a special trip just for this,” Serpe said, emphasizing residents should drop off food scraps “if you’re out on an essential run” for groceries or similar necessities. People are also being asked to stand six feet apart when they do come, in keeping with social distancing recommendations, while additional efforts to wipe down bins have been implemented.
Another key factor in Serpe’s push are local partners including Schmelly’s Dirt Farm, an organics hauler and delivery team. The company offers commercial pickup in addition to partnering with residential food scrap drop-off programs. Serpe said Compost NOW’s relationship with the hauler has historically allowed for more operational flexibility, as well as increased tonnage compared to what might otherwise be feasible. That partnership is proving especially helpful now, easing the burden of transporting material to local farms.
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Small-scale organics recyclers struggle amid coronavirus pandemic Read More »
Judith Graham reports for The Washington Post
She knew it wasn’t a good idea and her daughter would disapprove. Nonetheless, Barbara Figge Fox, 79, recently went to four stores in Princeton, N.J., to shop for canned goods, paper towels, fresh fruit, yogurt and other items.
“I was in panic mode,” said Fox, who admitted she has been feeling both agonizing fear and irrational impulsivity because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Susannah Fox, Barbara’s daughter, had been warning her exceptionally healthy mother for weeks of the need to stay inside as much as possible and limit contact with other people. Everyone 65 and older is at high risk of complications from covid-19 and should adopt these measures, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
“At one point, when I was pushing her to limit her activities, my mother said defiantly, ‘Well, I’m going to die of something,’ ” said Susannah, an adviser to health-care and technology companies. “And I said, ‘Well, that’s true, but let’s not rush it.’ ”
Are precautions of the sort the CDC advises really necessary, even in areas where the new coronavirus doesn’t yet appear to be circulating very widely? What about disease-free adults in their 60s and 70s? Do they need to worry about going to a food store, pharmacy or a close friend’s house for dinner? Are all outside activities ill-advised?
I asked several geriatricians for their advice. All cautioned that what they told me could be upended by unforeseen developments. Indeed, in the past week, the governors of about a dozen states — including California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Washington — have told residents, and not just older adults, to stay inside, in an aggressive effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
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Geriatricians’ advice for seniors coping with the coronavirus pandemic Read More »
