EnviroPolitics Blog

Honolulu Sues Petroleum Companies For Climate Change Damages to City

The city’s lawsuit cites the industry’s concealing of science that predicted catastrophic consequences for the continued burning of fossil fuels.

Honolulu is Already Feeling the Effects of Climate Change — At Mike Leary’s Island Demo’s equipment yard, more frequent tidal flooding from rising seas has inundated the property in recent years. Credit: Mike Leary

Honolulu city officials, lashing out at the fossil fuel industry in a climate change lawsuit filed Monday, accused oil producers of concealing the dangers that greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum products would create, while reaping billions in profits.

The lawsuit, against eight oil companies, says climate change already is having damaging effects on the city’s coastline, and lays out a litany of catastrophic public nuisances—including sea level rise, heat waves, flooding and drought caused by the burning of fossil fuels—that are costing the city billions, and putting its residents and property at risk.

“We are seeing in real time coastal erosion and the consequences,” Josh Stanbro, chief resilience officer and executive director for the City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, told InsideClimate News. “It’s an existential threat for what the future looks like for islanders.”

The lawsuit puts it simply: The industry has known for decades that those impacts could be catastrophic, yet did nothing.

Fossil fuel companies have “promoted and profited from a massive increase in the extraction and consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas, which has in turn caused an enormous, foreseeable, and avoidable increase in global greenhouse gas pollution,” the suit states.

“Defendants had actual knowledge that their products were defective and dangerous and were and are causing and contributing to the nuisance complained of, and acted with conscious disregard for the probable dangerous consequences of their conduct’s and products’ foreseeable impact upon the rights of others, including the City and its residents,” according to the 119 page lawsuit filed in in the First Circuit Court of Hawaii.

Hawaii's Economic Costs as Sea Level Rises

The lawsuit seeks to hold fossil companies, including Exxon, Shell, Chevron and Phillips 66, accountable for the costs and damages caused by misleadingly promoting and selling products that their own scientists and experts warned could impose “severe” or even “catastrophic” consequences.

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Energy bill stalled amid amendment gridlock

By Rebecca Beitsch and Jordain Carney, The Hill

A mammoth energy policy bill hit a roadblock in the Senate on Monday night with a stalemate over amendments threatening to derail the legislation entirely.

Lawmakers voted against closing debate on an updated version of the bill that included a package of noncontroversial amendments forwarded by its sponsors, a sign lawmakers are still eager to push for some of the 191 amendments that have been proposed for the bill.

The path forward for the bill, which had been expected to pass as soon as Tuesday, is now unclear. Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-Ky.) did vote against it, a procedural tactic that could allow him to try to end debate for a second time if he’s able to reach a deal.

Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said negotiations had stalled on a path forward on amendments.

“We’ll probably end up having to pivot something else, until we figure out if there’s a way we can get this back on track,” Thune told The Hill.

The American Energy Innovation Act, sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) would spur research and development into a number of types of energy, the first major package on the topic in more than a decade.

Democrats have been fighting to add amendments that would phase down the use of heat-trapping hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as another that could push to make new homes more energy efficient.

The White House and a few senators have expressed opposition to the HFCs amendment, arguing that federal standards should supersede any passed by the states.

But Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) threatened to filibuster the bill hours ahead of Monday night’s votes, accusing McConnell of blocking an otherwise popular amendment from Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) that could help fight climate change.

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NJDEP fines municipality of Princeton $35,000 for operating illegal dump at sewer facility

By Krystal Knapp, Princeton Planet

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection fined the municipality of Princeton $35,000 for operating a dump without proper permits, public records show.

Employees at the River Road facility in the northeast corner of Princeton allegedly took bribes to allow private contractors to dump waste at the sewer department site located at 290-298 River Road, which is adjacent to the former town landfill and the Stony Brook Regional Sewerage Authority. State officials inspected the site in June after receiving complaints from residents who read Planet Princeton’s stories about the alleged dumping at the site. Planet Princeton had received tips from a whistleblower about the illegal dumping by contractors. At least one contractor was also using municipal employees and town equipment for private jobs. Four employees were fired as a result of the investigative series, and three people were charged with second-degree bribery.

According to public records obtained by Planet Princeton, a representative from the NJDEP had flagged issues at the River Road site back in the winter when she inspected the old landfill, but no one from the NJDEP followed up on her complaint.

State officials sent three billing notices to the municipality for the fines related to operating a dump without a permit. The municipality has not paid the bill yet, according to state records. The charge is listed as open, but also as suspended.

The Princeton Council is slated to hire a law firm Monday night to defend itself against solid waste enforcement actions by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and to deal with other legal environmental issues related to the River Road site. The town is hiring Lyndhurst- based lawyer John Scagnelli of Scarinci & Hollenbeck for costs up to $50,000. The agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1.

Potential costs for the cleanup of the site have not been made public. The sewer department was closed down after the scandal.

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Colliers International to acquire Maser Consulting

From left, Joseph Dopico, COO; Kevin Haney, CEO and president; Richard Maser, founder and executive chairman; and Leonardo Ponzio, executive vice president and chief administrative officer.- MASER CONSULTING — From left, Joseph Dopico, COO; Kevin Haney, CEO and president; Richard Maser, founder and executive chairman; and Leonardo Ponzio, executive vice president and chief administrative officer. – MASER CONSULTING

Linda Lindner reports for NJBIZ
March 9, 2020 11:45 am

Colliers International said Monday it entered into an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Red Bank-based Maser Consulting.

By the first quarter of 2021, the business will be rebranded as Colliers Engineering Services. Maser’s senior leadership, which announced changes in January, will remain significant shareholders of the business under Colliers’ unique partnership model.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2020.

Maser is one of the leading multi-discipline engineering design and consulting firms in the U.S. The company provides planning, consulting and design engineering services to multiple end markets including site civil, survey and geospatial, transportation, water and wastewater, telecommunication and geo-environmental. In 2019 Maser generated revenue of $167 million.

“Our investment in Maser is another step forward in our strategy of adding more highly valued, essential services to our private and public real estate and infrastructure clients,” said Jay Hennick, global chairman and chief executive officer of Colliers International.

“Our partnership with Colliers – the first in our industry – is the next evolution of our business,” said Richard Maser, Maser founder and chairman. “Colliers’ enterprising culture, decentralized management style, significant insider ownership and proven track record were important factors in choosing our strategic partner.”

In connection with this transaction, AEC Advisors acted as financial advisor and Sidley Austin acted as legal advisor to Colliers.

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Maryland patients contracted coronavirus in Egypt, met with students outside Philadelphia

By MEREDITH COHN, PAMELA WOOD and COLIN CAMPBELL
THE BALTIMORE SUN – MAR 07, 2020 | 11:53 AM

The three people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus this week were on an Egyptian cruise on the Nile River, said Gov. Larry Hogan, who shared more details during a Friday evening news conference about the Montgomery County residents, the first confirmed cases in Maryland.

The three — a couple in their 70s and an unrelated woman in her 50s — are currently isolated in their homes and their symptoms are abating.

Five of their family members have been advised to be tested and officials continue to trace their contacts with others to determine if more people should also be tested, said Fran Phillips, deputy state health secretary for public health during the news conference.

One of the patients traveled to suburban Philadelphia and met with students and others there, which resulted in Pennsylvania health officials deciding to temporarily close five Bucks County schools.

Another of the patients attended a Feb. 28 event at The Village at Rockville, a retirement community. Health officials say 70 to 100 residents, visitors and staff at the event may be at risk for COVID-19. They are urging them to monitor for symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing until March 13. They should also take their temperature twice a day and notify their health care provider if it’s greater than 100.4 or they have other symptoms. Anyone who attended the Feb. 28 event is encouraged to contact their physician or the Maryland Emergency Management Agency call center at 410-517-3720.

“We’re obviously concerned, we’re not getting any sleep and the information is coming at us pretty fast and furious,” Hogan said during the conference.

Hogan announced the three positive tests Thursday evening and then declared a state of emergency, allowing Maryland to mobilize its emergency operations center and ramp up its coordination with local and federal agencies.

In addition to the three confirmed cases in the state, eight tests are still pending among the 44 tests conducted. One person under investigation is at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, the hospital confirmed Friday. It’s unknown where the others are located or if they are hospitalized or isolated at home as they await results.

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New Jersey Energy Master Plan hearing scheduled by Assembly committee

The Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee will meet on Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 10:00 AM in Committee Room 11, 4th Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ.

The committee will take testimony from invited guests on an update to the New Jersey Energy Master Plan, entitled “2019 New Jersey Energy Master Plan: Pathway to 2050.”

(The public may address comments and questions to Kevin J. Donahue, Committee Aide, or make bill status and scheduling inquiries to Carla Novatkoski, secretary, at 609-847-3840, fax 609-292-0561, or e-mail: OLSAideATU@njleg.org. Written and electronic comments, questions and testimony submitted to the committee by the public, as well as recordings and transcripts, if any, of oral testimony, are government records and will be available to the public upon request.)

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