EnviroPolitics Blog

What will save cities of the future? E-bikes, predicts Deloitte

Carlton Reid contributes to Forbes

Tern GSD electric cargo bike makes riding up hills a breeze.TERN

Robots. AI. Podcasts. 5G. All of these are the sort of subjects you would expect to find plugged in a long-running annual tech predictions report. Bicycles? Not so much. But in a major innovations publication issued on December 10, 200-year-old bicycling is highlighted as a technological solution to many modern urban ills. Robots. AI. Podcasts. 5G. All of these are the sort of subjects you would expect to find plugged in a long-running annual tech predictions report. Bicycles? Not so much. But in a major innovations publication issued on December 10, 200-year-old bicycling is highlighted as a technological solution to many modern urban ills. Robots. AI. Podcasts. 5G. All of these are the sort of subjects you would expect to find plugged in a long-running annual tech predictions report. Bicycles? Not so much. But in a major innovations publication issued on December 10, 200-year-old bicycling is highlighted as a technological solution to many modern urban ills.

“Growth in urban bicycle use can drive profound societal changes,” suggests Deloitte’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions 2020 report. This will be achieved through “reductions in traffic and pollution, less-crowded public transit systems, and improvements in public health,” stressed the report, now in its 19th year.

The 136-page report from the global consultancy firm predicts that bicycle usage in cities will double by 2022.

Deloitte report — Deloitte’s “Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions 2020” report.DELOITTE

“By 2050, 2.5 billion more people are expected to be living in cities than today,” stated the firm’s study, and more bicycle usage will be necessary because “moving all these people around may strain capacity on existing transport options.”

Urban bike-share schemes will be essential for cities of the future, and bicycling of all stripes will be boosted by “an array of diverse technological innovations,” according to Deloitte’s crystal-ball gazers. They believe predictive analytics, smartphone apps, wireless connectivity, and digital urban planning tools will get more people on bikes.

The growth in demand for e-bikes will also accelerate, said the firm, citing a Forbes story on how there already now more e-bikes sold in The Netherlands than non-electric bikes.

Innovations—and freshly-built cycling infrastructure—will make bicycling safer, faster, and even more convenient.

“This makes it a more attractive option for first-mile, last-mile, and overall travel, furthering its rising popularity,” said the firm’s U.S. report.

A U.K. version of the report added that “increased participation in cycling over the coming years can only be good news,” especially as “more cycling means lower car usage and lower emissions.”

The U.K. version continued: “Our cities are currently heaving with traffic; mostly for journeys that are under five miles—under two miles in London—so for short, routine trips, cycling could tick all the boxes.”

Table. — U.K. version of Deloitte’s innovations report cites cycling as second most important innovation to … [+]DELOITTE

Cycling is listed as the second most important innovation to keep tabs on. The roll-out of industrial 5G was first, and the continued rise of podcasting was third.

The fastest-selling electric vehicle in the years ahead will be e-bikes, stated the Deloitte report: “Between 2020 and 2023, we expect over 130 million electric bikes to be sold worldwide, reaching 40 million units and £16 billion revenue in 2023.”

According to Deloitte, this will “far outpace electric [motor] vehicles, which we expect to grow from 5.1 million in use globally in 2018, to around 12 million likely to be sold in 2025.”

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One last chance for a statewide plastic bag ban in New Jersey comes on Monday

Senate ready to vote to amend a statewide ban on single-use bags, but the legislation’s future is still uncertain in Assembly

The measure “is not dead yet, but it is on life support,’’ says Jeff Tittel of the NJ Sierra Club.

Tom Johnson reports for New Jersey Spotlight

A last-ditch bid to salvage a proposed statewide ban on single-use plastic and paper bags, as well as other plastics, inched forward in the Senate on Thursday — but the bill still remains on life support, at best.

In an unexpected move, the Senate voted to amend a bill once hailed as the United States’ most comprehensive ban on single-use bags during a tumultuous penultimate lame-duck legislative session that featured contentious debates on banning vaping products and other issues.

The critical amendments, approved by a 22-0 vote without any debate, would delay the ban on single-use plastic and paper bags, as well as polystyrene cups, for two years. The original bill put a ban on single-use plastic bags in one year, and paper bags in two years.

The new bill also deals with a significant issue for big-chain grocery stores. Under the old version of the bill, stores would have had to provide free reusable bags for two months after the law takes effect. In the amended version, the money to provide those reusable bags would come out of the Clean Communities program, an effort to reduce litter in New Jersey.

The issue is one that grocery stores and others had lobbied for, as the new bill would prevent low-margin profit facilities from having to take on new costs for their businesses.

“The 2-2-2 is a compromise to get this bill over the finish line,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey, one of many conservation organizations that have made passing the bill a top priority. Gov. Phil Murphy conditionally vetoed a different version of the bill in 2018.

In the interim, more than 30 municipalities and two counties have passed bans on plastic bags. Under the bill, current towns’ bans would not be pre-empted, but subsequent bans by local governments would be prohibited.

‘On life support’

Both proponents and opponents of the bill say, at least at this point, it is unlikely the Assembly will adopt the revised bill, but those projections are typically subject to change on the last day of the lame-duck session on Monday.

“It’s our hope we will see a detailed discussion on polystyrene recycling in the next session,’’ said Dennis Hart, executive director of the Chemistry Industry Council of New Jersey, which has opposed the bill.

“It is not dead yet, but it is on life support,’’ said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “There is no guarantee that the Assembly will pick it up, but it is critical they act on the bill.’’

Sen. Bob Smith, a Middlesex Democrat who has pushed the legislation, has vowed to take up the bill — if it does not pass in the lame-duck session — early in the next year.

The legislation is among several environmental bills awaiting action, including measures to promote electric vehicles, spur private investment in making government facilities more energy-efficient, and promote new transmission projects to bring offshore wind to New Jersey customers. All are expected to be voted on in Monday’s final legislative session of the term.

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17 environment and energy bills posted for final votes in NJ Assembly Jan. 13

By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor

Here’s the Assembly lineup for Monday:

A2731 – Removes statutory limitations on the number of permits that may be issued by the Division of Fish and Wildlife for the taking of beaver.

A4535 – Establishes the “Energy Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Act.”

A4819 – Establishes goals, initiatives, and programs to encourage and support use of plug-in electric vehicles.

A6014 – Establishes NJ Climate Change Resource Center at Rutgers University, appropriates up to $500,000.

S721 – Authorizes use of certain electric school buses.

A1751 – Authorizes use of electric school buses.

S1883 – Requires owner or operator of certain trains to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials by rail; requires NJ DOT to request bridge inspection reports from US DOT.

A3783 – Requires owner or operator of certain trains to have discharge response, cleanup, and contingency plans to transport certain hazardous materials by rail; requires NJ DOT to request bridge inspection reports from US DOT.

S2421 – Concerns installation of electric vehicle charging stations in common interest communties.

A1030 – Concerns installation of electric vehicle charging stations in common interest communities.

S2511 – Changes title of DEP “conservation officer” to “conservation police officer.”

S2826 – Requires institutions of higher education to offer cats and dogs no longer used for educational, research, or scientific purposes for adoption; designated the “Homes for Animal Heroes Act.”

A5157 – Directs State Agriculture Development Committee to establish pilot program to allow special occasion events to be conducted on preserved farmland under certain conditions.

S3939 – Establishes the Recycling Market Development Council.

S3944 – Establishes a task force to study recycling streams in NJ and challenges faced by local governments in running recycling programs.

S3985 – Amends the “Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act” to add a definition of “open access offshore wind transmission facility” and revises the law concerning “qualified offshore wind projects.”

ACR198 – Urges cooperative approach among all levels of government to provide funding and other resources to clean up plastic pollution.

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NJ’s amended e-car rebate and recharge bills gain support, speed toward passage

The legislation would offer rebates to purchasers of zero-emission vehicles and give the state a path to finance charging infrastructure and eliminate range anxiety

Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight

In perhaps the most significant step the state has taken to reduce global-warming pollution and promote cleaner-running cars, a pair of legislative committees yesterday passed a bill to begin electrifying the transportation sector.

The legislation (A-4819) cleared the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee and Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee and paves the way for possible approval by the Legislature before the lame-duck sessions ends next week. It is expected to be taken up by the Senate Budget and Appropriations on Thursday and passed by both houses Monday.

Advocates view the legislation as crucial to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector, the single largest source of pollution contributing to climate change. It also aims to comply with California’s clean-car program, which seeks to convince motorists to switch to electric cars, or zero-emission vehicles.

Cautious about costly surcharges

The bill won approval despite concerns raised by business lobbyists and others that it would only boost already high energy bills for consumers and businesses through surcharges on electric and gas bills.

“This isn’t going to do anything to help the competitiveness of New Jersey businesses,’’ said Dennis Hart, executive director of the Chemistry Industry Council of New Jersey, referring to the high costs manufacturers already face because of steep energy bills. He urged state revenue be used instead of relying on ratepayers to fund the program.

The bill proposes to siphon off $30 million a year from a ratepayer-funded program over the next decade to provide rebates to consumers to buy the more expensive electric vehicles.

It also opens the way for the state to raise additional funds to finance expansion of the charging infrastructure to reduce range anxiety of motorists, who fear they’ll be left stranded with no place to recharge their vehicles.

The legislation, revised and amended during closed-door negotiations over the holidays, emerged as a much more balanced bill, according to stakeholders, some of whom had opposed the measure in earlier iterations.

Generally favorable response from Rate Counsel

“This bill has gone through a number of amendments, which has made it vastly better,’’ said Stefanie Brand, director of the state Division of Rate Counsel. Brand, however, questioned how effective proposed rebates of $5,000 a car would be in getting more zero-emission vehicles on the road.

The legislation sets high requirements for transforming the sector. By 2025, New Jersey needs to have 330,000 electric cars on the road. In another 10 years, the requirement jumps to 2 million, and 85% of all light-duty vehicles by 2040.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, argued the passage of the bill is the most critical step lawmakers have taken in more than a decade to deal with the problems of climate change.

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Pam Frank, CEO of ChargEVC, a coalition of auto dealers, utilities, consumers and other clean-car advocates, said the New Jersey program will have a ripple effect throughout the Northeast in promoting cleaner cars.

To some, however, New Jersey has fallen behind other states, especially those that followed the Garden State in trying to implement the California clean-car program.

“New Jersey has literally done nothing to advance the goals of this program,’’ said Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers. The rebates under the proposed bill will finally make electric vehicles competitive with conventional internal-combustion engines.

The legislation won surprising support from some major sectors of the business community, including the New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce. But Jim Benton, of the New Jersey Petroleum Council, opposed the bill because of its impact on business and other ratepayers.

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2020: A Year of Pipeline Court Fights, with One Lawsuit Headed to the Supreme Court

Several cases challenge natural gas pipeline routes, including across the Appalachian Trail, and question companies’ right to take land they don’t own.

Phil McKenna reports for Inside Climate News

After years of mounting opposition to the increasing build-out of oil and gas infrastructure, 2020 is shaping up to be the year that pipeline opponents get their day in court.

One case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court takes a closer look at whether parts of the Appalachian Trail are off-limits to fossil fuel infrastructure and may determine the fate of two multi-billion-dollar pipelines. A defeat there, the industry argues, would severely limit its ability to get natural gas from the Marcellus shale to East Coast cities and export terminals. Another case weighs state sovereignty against pipeline interests and could have implications nationwide.

Meanwhile, a question of potentially greater significance looms: Can pipeline companies continue to justify taking private land as the public benefits of fossil fuel pipelines are increasingly questioned and the risks they pose to the environment and climate increase?

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The rise of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, launched a natural gas boom that has fueled a rush of pipeline construction in recent years, with pipeline companies spending an average of $10 billion per year on expanding their pipeline network, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That rush has racked up environmental violations in several states, and it has triggered a pushback by states, environmental groups, and landowners.

Even in oil- and gas-rich Texas, where fossil fuel interests dominate state politics, landowners are pushing back on pipeline companies’ use of eminent domain.

Crossing the Appalachian Trail

In the case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the fossil fuel industry argues that its very ability to ship natural gas from the sprawling Marcellus and Utica shale basins to the East Coast is at risk.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on Feb. 24 related to a key permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC’s proposed $7.5 billion natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to eastern portions of Virginia and North Carolina. It would cross the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and that’s where the pipeline has run into trouble.

Justices will consider whether the U.S. Forest Service has the authority to grant permits for pipelines that cross the iconic backcountry footpath, which runs from Georgia to Maine and is part of the National Park System. Attorneys representing the Trump administration are also a part of the suit, arguing that the Forest Service does have jurisdiction to grant permits across the trail. In a brief filed Dec. 2, federal attorneys added that the pipeline would lie “more than 600 feet below” the surface of the Trail and would be constructed using a “horizontal directional drilling technique” with entry and exit points on private lands not be visible from the Trail.

A federal appeals court invalidated the Forest Service’s permit for the Atlantic Coast pipeline in 2018, saying the agency lacked the authority to approve a right-of-way across the trail. Industry and government lawyers argue the appeals court was wrong.

“Simply put, there is no basis in any federal statute to conclude that Congress intended to convert the Appalachian Trail into a 2,200-mile barrier separating critical natural resources from the eastern seaboard” attorneys for Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC, told the Supreme Court in a Dec. 2 brief.

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On Thursday, the NJ Senate could vote to mandate large-scale, food-waste recycling

Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor

We reported on Saturday that time was running out on A3726, a bill that would require large-scale generators of food waste (think universities, restaurants, casinos, etc.) to send their material to state-approved recycling facilities.

Late today, the Senate announced that it will consider a motion on Thursday (Jan. 9) to accept the governor’s recommended amendments that would remove exemptions in the bill for landfills and waste incinerators. If the motion succeeds, as is expected, Governor Murphy will sign the bill into law.

That outcome would delight numerous recycling and other environmental organizations that have been fighting for years to get the bill enacted.

But don’t expect quick results. Currently, there are no recycling facilities in the state that fit the role anticipated by the legislation. Proposals to build such facilities can now be expected to surface since the new law would essentially guarantee a flow of food waste to them. Without a predictable and dependable supply, investors have not been willing to commit funding to build and operate full-scale, food-waste recycling plants.

Where will we likely see food waste plants? Those familiar with such projects expect the first proposals will come from areas of the state with the highest populations. More people=more food waste=greatest potential return on recycling facility investments.

Two potential hurdles both involve the NJDEP
The agency’s ever-constricted budget doesn’t have much room to hire new employees to review recycling plant proposals. And, even if a proposal gets a DEP green light, the agency will still need to add staffers to oversee compliance. Why? See Boston Globe link below.

From the Boston Globe, February 26, 2019
Five years ago, Massachusetts launched the nation’s most ambitious effort to curb commercial food waste by banning universities, hospitals, and large businesses from sending discarded food to landfills.

But critics like John Hanselman, who built a business based on the ban, say that state regulators have failed to enforce the restrictions, leading to a widespread lack of compliance.

Hanselman’s company invested $70 million to build five high-tech plants to convert food waste — a significant source of carbon emissions — into electricity, heat, and fertilizer. But now his company is scrounging to find a sufficient amount of waste for the plants. Click for more.

Big waste generators already seeking to be exempted

As the legislation moved through the Senate and Assembly, many insiders believed it would never reach the governor’s desk. Few of the ‘large generators’ who would be covered by the bill publically objected to it. But within days of the legislation’s late-session show of momentum, hospitals won the introduction of S4343 that would grant them a two-year exemption.

If the Senate passes and the Governor signs A3726, how many more exemption bills will be introduced in the next session? Stay tuned.

2019 ends with recyclers rejoicing

Despite the hurdles that the expected new food waste law might face, it still is a major victory for the state’s recycling industry that also is celebrating the expected final passage of:

S1683 Cracks down on phony ‘soil recyclers’ including organized-crime types who pedaled contaminated soils to construction projects

A4382/SS2815 Authorizes participation in a nationwide, used-paint, take-back program that will shift the cost of paint recycling from county budgets to a national program underwritten by paint manufacturers.

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