EnviroPolitics Blog

A Republican plan to sell public land is back in the millions of acres

Senate Republicans want to sell the land to build more housing in the West, but the idea is contentious even within their own party.

A wide expanse of mountains are dusted with white snow. — The proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to identify and sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres. Credit…Russel Daniels for The New York Times

By Brad Plumer, The New York Times

Senate Republicans are resurrecting a plan to sell millions of acres of federal lands as part of President Trump’s giant tax and spending bill, setting up a fight within the party.

The proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to identify and sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public lands across 11 Western states to build housing.

Past efforts to auction off public land have enraged conservationists and have also proved contentious with some Republicans. A smaller proposal to sell around 500,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada was stripped from the House version of the tax bill last month after opposition from Representative Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana and a former interior secretary.

“This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands,” Mr. Zinke said last month. “Once the land is sold, we will never get it back.”

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NJ environment committee advances bill to expand solar access

TRENTON- The NJ Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced legislation Thursday sponsored by Senator Vin Gopal that would significantly expand New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program by setting ambitious new development targets and eliminating outdated capacity caps. The bill aims to reduce energy costs for ratepayers, increase access to renewable energy, and help alleviate supply pressures on the state’s electric grid.

“Community solar has delivered real benefits for working families across New Jersey, but our current limits on project development are holding back its full potential,” said Senator Gopal (D-Monmouth). “This bill modernizes the program to meet today’s needs, cutting red tape, creating savings, and accelerating our clean energy transition. At a time of rising electricity costs, we should be making it easier, not harder, to build local solar projects that lower bills and reduce strain on our grid. This is an opportunity to deliver immediate value to consumers while helping New Jersey meet its clean energy goals. With smart policy and strong investment, community solar can help power our future, affordably and equitably.”

The bill, S4530, would amend the Clean Energy Act of 2018 to direct the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to register up to 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new community solar projects by August 1, 2025. Registrations would be accepted through December 31, 2029, or until the full 3,000 MW is achieved. The bill also removes the current 150 MW annual cap and authorizes the BPU to adjust incentive levels to ensure project completion.

New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program (CSEP) allows residents to subscribe to off-site solar projects and receive utility bill credits. It has already generated over $7 million in net savings for over 28,000 subscribers. However, demand for the program now far exceeds current capacity. As of early 2025, more than 650 MW of projects had registered during the latest cycle, with territories like PSE&G and ACE oversubscribed and closed to new participation.

Community solar projects, typically mid-sized and connected to the local distribution grid, avoid the costly delays of the PJM interconnection queue. According to a recent report by The Brattle Group, installing 3,000 MW of community solar by 2030 would save New Jersey ratepayers an estimated $905 million, roughly $5 per month on an average utility bill by 2031.

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Floridians gathered in over 70 cities for ‘No Kings Day’ protests

By Jackie Llanos and Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

In the largest mobilization against the policies of the Trump administration since the president returned to the White House in January, Floridians gathered in more than 70 cities as part of the nationwide “No RelKings Day” protests.

In Tallahassee, several groups came together four weeks ago to organize the protest that drew thousands to the Florida Historic Capitol, said Claudia Sperber, one of the co-organizers and president of the Leon County Chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida.

Organizers emphasized safety training in their preparations for Saturday, in light of the warnings earlier this week from state and local officials promising to quash violent protests by any means necessary.

“We wanted to be careful, but we refused to be bullied,” Sperber said. “We know it is a classic playbook from a dictator to make people feel afraid, and we refused to be afraid.”

Approximately 5,000 protested in Tallahassee, according to the organizers. That number is not independently verified.

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Wildfire in Jersey Pines grows to 4,200 acres, triggers ‘hazardous’ air quality conditions

Smoke from the Mines Sprung Fire has created “hazardous” air quality conditions throughout Philadelphia region

By Robert Moran and Diane Mastrull, Philadelphia Inquirer

A wildfire in Wharton State Forest in Burlington County( NJ) had grown to 4,200 acres and triggered unsafe air conditions in the Philadelphia area.

No injuries or structural damage have been reported, but the fire has created “hazardous” air quality conditions throughout the Philadelphia region, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow. People are advised to stay indoors, especially those with respiratory challenges.

The Mines Spung Fire, as state officials have named it, was first spotted Friday morning by a private aircraft flying over the area in Shamong Township, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported. As of the latest report at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, it was 40% contained.

The fire is in the area of the Carranza Memorial, and the fire service reported that the Phillip M. Costello Preparatory Academy, an alternative residential school for teen boys and young men, and the Lower Forge Campground were evacuated and five structures remained threatened.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates

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This New Jersey town is the (Yumm) blueberry capital of the world

From PIX 11 TV News

Early June marks the start of blueberry season in Hammonton, NJ, which locals have dubbed the Blueberry Capital of the World. Members of the Consalo Family Farm, in business since 1927, are working seven days a week on their 1500-acre property to get their berries to market.

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Tump’s EPA easing up on power plant emission restrictions

A coal barge heads up the Ohio River from the Kentucky’s Hugh L. Spurlock Generating Station, a 1.3-gigawatt coal power plant. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

By Kathryn Krawczyk, Canary Media

On Wednesday, the U.S. EPA proposed repealing Biden administration rules that limit toxic pollutants and planet-warming emissions from coal and gas plants nationwide. These plants “do not contribute significantly” to “dangerous” air pollution, the EPA claimed — something that many, many studies have shown isn’t true. Power plants are the second-largest source of carbon emissions, and they’re responsible for a lot of health-harming pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury, too.

When the Biden administration first announced the rules last year, the EPA estimated they would stem 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047. That’s the equivalent of taking 328 million gas cars off the road for a year, and amounts to an estimated $370 billion in climate and public health benefits.

Those benefits would’ve helped communities surrounding gas and coal plants around the U.S., according to the Sierra Club’s Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard. For example, Montana’s Colstrip 3 plant would have to reduce its toxic pollution under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, while a slew of plants across the Midwest and Southwest would have to install carbon-capture systems or shut down under the greenhouse gas rules.

The changes will allow coal plants around the country to keep burning. In North Dakota, some state officials are celebrating what they say is a big step toward protecting jobs and the coal industry. But in Georgia, health advocates and scientists warn the preservation of coal plants in their state will fall hard on vulnerable communities, especially those surrounding the facilities.

Still, none of this is set in stone. The EPA’s proposals are vulnerable to several legal pitfalls, including challenges involving the Clean Air Act, the agency’s insistence that power plants don’t produce “significant” emissions, and the health, economic, and other costs of increasing pollution, E&E News reports. Analysts with TD Cowen expect the EPA to finalize the rules by early next year, but say legal challenges and uncertainty will continue through all of 2026.

Read the full story here

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