It broke the first time but ocean cleanup device now successfully collecting plastic

Floating boom finally retains debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, creator says

Daniel Boffey in Brussels reports for the Guardian

Waste collected in the boom
 The boom skims up waste ranging in size from a discarded net and a car wheel to tiny chips of plastic. AP photo

A huge floating device designed by Dutch scientists to clean up an island of rubbish in the Pacific Ocean that is three times the size of France has successfully picked up plastic from the high seas for the first time.

Boyan Slat, the creator of the Ocean Cleanup project, tweeted that the 600 metre-long (2,000ft) free-floating boom had captured and retained debris from what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Alongside a picture of the collected rubbish, which includes a car wheel, Slat wrote: “Our ocean cleanup system is now finally catching plastic, from one-ton ghost nets to tiny microplastics! Also, anyone missing a wheel?”

About 600,000 to 800,000 metric tonnes of fishing gear is abandoned or lost at sea each year. Another 8m tonnes of plastic waste flows in from beaches.

Ocean currents have brought a vast patch of such detritus together halfway between Hawaii and California, where it is kept in rough formation by an ocean gyre, a whirlpool of currents. It is the largest accumulation of plastic in the world’s oceans.

Crew members sort through plastic onboard a support vessel in the Pacific.
 Crew members sort through plastic onboard a support vessel in the Pacific. AP photo

The vast cleaning system is designed to not only collect discarded fishing nets and large visible plastic objects, but also microplastics.

The plastic barrier floating on the surface of the sea has a three metre-deep (10ft) screen below it, which is intended to trap some of the 1.8tn pieces of plastic without disturbing the marine life below.

The device is fitted with transmitters and sensors so it can communicate its position via satellites to a vessel that will collect the gathered rubbish every few months.

Slat told a press conference in Rotterdam that the problem he was seeking to solve was the vast expense that would come with using a trawler to collect plastics.

He said: “We are now catching plastics … After beginning this journey seven years ago, this first year of testing in the unforgivable environment of the high seas strongly indicates that our vision is attainable and that the beginning of our mission to rid the ocean of plastic garbage, which has accumulated for decades, is within our sights.

“We now have a self-contained system in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is using the natural forces of the ocean to passively catch and concentrate plastics … This now gives us sufficient confidence in the general concept to keep going on this project.”

The plastic gathered so far will be brought to shore in December for recycling. The project believes there may be a premium market for items that have been made using plastic reclaimed from the ocean.

“I think in a few years’ time when we have the full-scale fleet out there, I think it should be possible to cover the operational cost of the cleanup operation using the plastic harvested,” Slat said.

The plan is to now scale up the device and make it more durable so it can retain plastic for up to a year or possibly longer before collection is necessary.

The Ocean Cleanup project’s system retains plastic in front of an extended cork line
 The Ocean Cleanup project’s system retains plastic in front of an extended cork line. Photograph: AP

During a previous four-month trial the boom broke apart and no plastic was collected. Since then, changes have been made to the design including the addition of a “parachute anchor” to slow down the device’s movement in the ocean, allowing for faster-moving plastic debris to float into the system.

The latest trial began in June when the system was launched into the sea from Vancouver. The project was started in 2013 and its design has undergone several major revisions. It is hoped the final design will be able to clean up half of the debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

• This article was amended on 4 October 2019 to clarify system location details.

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Delaware enacts changes to Coastal Zone Act regs

From the law firm of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr

On June 28, 1971, the Delaware Coastal Zone Act (the “Act”) was signed into law in order to protect the coastal areas of Delaware from the effects of heavy industry uses and offshore bulk product transfer facilities. The protected area is the coastline of Delaware, along the Delaware River and Delaware Bays, extending from the Delaware-Pennsylvania line in a southerly direction to the Maryland line. The Act prohibited the construction of new heavy industry uses in Delaware’s Coastal Zone and generally prohibited new offshore bulk product transfer facilities outside of the Port of Wilmington. The Act regulates existing heavy industrial uses and new and existing manufacturing uses in the Coastal Zone.

On August 2, 2017, the Coastal Zone Conversion Permit Act (“CZCPA”) was enacted to permit the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (“DNREC”) to issue Conversion Permits for new heavy industry uses within fourteen (14) existing heavy industry sites in Delaware’s Coastal Zone, as well as for the bulk transfer of products. DNREC was charged with the development of regulations in connection with the CZCPA which regulations became effective on October 1, 2019.

In developing regulations for the CZCPA, DNREC also made certain changes to the regulations already in effect pertaining to the Act. In that regard, DNREC made the following revisions:

  • The information required for permit applications under the Act is significantly more robust, requiring, among other things, data to support any analyses provided including citations to published peer review articles, models and modeling results and data sources.
  • The required Environmental Impact Statement accompanying an application now must:
    • Be certified by a Delaware registered professional engineer or professional geologist;
    • Provide, on an annual basis, the probable air, land and water pollution likely to be generated by the proposed use;
    • The person certifying the Environmental Impact Statement must provide an opinion as to whether the project or activity will in any way result in any negative environmental impact on the Coastal Zone;
    • Show the impact on the watershed for the proposed project rather than simply on the drainage in the area; and
    • Show the effect of project site preparation and facility operation on the quality and quantity of surface and groundwater resources, including withdrawals and discharges, identification of potentially affected water supply sources and public and private wastewater treatment facilities.
  • An Economic Effects Analysis is now required showing the number of jobs created, their classification as part-time/full time/temporary/permanent, along with their wages and salaries and the amount of tax revenues that will accrue to state and local governments.
  • Any permit to be granted under the Act will now have a duration of no greater than twenty (20) years (or less at the discretion of the DNREC Secretary) – permits granted to date have no time limit.
  • Renewal of a permit under the Act is now subject to the same requirements as for the issuance of an initial permit.
  • A new process is established for modifying a permit under the Act.
    • A minor modification is available for administrative changes such as corrections of spelling or grammatical errors.
    • A major modification is required in order to change ownership, control or any substantive term of a permit. A major modification requires public notice and a comment period as well as a public hearing at the discretion of the DNREC Secretary. Prior to the adoption of these regulations, transfers of permits under the Act merely required the submission of a written request to the DNREC Secretary.

In addition to the changes outlined above, in order to obtain a Conversion Permit for any of the fourteen (14) designated sites or a bulk product transfer facility, there is a very robust permitting process that includes, among the other requirements already required for a permit under the Act: the submission of a Sea Level Rise and Coastal Storm Plan to prepare for the potential impacts of sea-level rise and coastal storms over the useful life of the project site; an Environmental Remediation and Stabilization Plan; the establishment and maintenance of financial assurance through an approved financial assurance instrument; and strict recordkeeping and reporting requirements following permit issuance.

The complete regulations can be found here.

Related News Stories:
New Coastal Zone rules clarify conditions for potential new industry
DNREC announces finalized Coastal Zone Conversion Permit regulations, which become effective Sept. 11

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Gov. Murphy says capping Keegan Landfill in the Meadowlands ‘is complicated’

Keegan Landfill looms over Harvey Field Complex in Kearny, NJ. Photo by Reena Rose Sibayan

By Teri West | The Jersey Journal

Making a rare public comment on the controversial Keegan Landfill, Gov. Phil Murphy said putting a cap on the 110-acre landfill in Kearny is “complicated” but that he’s committed to finding a solution “that works for everybody.”

The governor has remained mostly quiet on the landfill that’s owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, but promised residents a “good resolution” when asked about it on News 12’s “Ask Governor Murphy.’’

Harrison resident John Pinho submitted the question to the program, asking why Murphy has never commented on the landfill. Murphy said he does not comment on issues that are being litigated.

A Hudson County judge ruled Monday that the landfill must permanently close, writing that the landfill and the hydrogen sulfide gas it emits pose a “clear and immediate danger.”

“Are we committed full throttle, wholeheartedly whether it’s through the Sports and Exposition Authority the Department of Environmental Protection to getting a good resolution that we work through with the community in Kearny on this landfill? Absolutely. Period. Full stop,” Murphy said. “Apparently it is not just as easy as putting a cap on this thing. This is complicated.”

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But a cap on the landfill is exactly what Mayor Al Santos says Kearny needs.

Even if waste is no longer deposited at the landfill, the existing waste will continue to emit hydrogen sulfide as it decomposes, he said, adding that a cap would protect residents from those emissions.

“If he wants to do something that works in a local community than he should speak to the local community and he hasn’t done that,” Santos said in response to the governor’s comments. “He knows full well that a liner would work. It’s worked at other closed landfills.”

Santos said that Murphy called capping the landfill “complicated” because the NJSEA will miss out on millions of dollars in annual revenue if the facility is permanently closed.

The state, however, should look for alternative ways to fund the agency, rather than a landfill that puts his constituents at risk, the mayor said.

The NJSEA has not responded to multiple requests for comment this week.

“We’ve been saying all along that the Sports Authority’s doing this for money,” Santos said. “They’re not doing this out of the good of their hearts to provide for the construction debris in this area. They’ve denied it, they’ve not cooperated, they’ve set up obstacles because they want to keep that money…If this agency is worth keeping then you have to fund it not at the public health costs of Kearny residents.”

Residents have complained about the intense rotten egg odors coming from the landfill for more than a year and raised concerns of the potential negative health effects that breathing in the hydrogen sulfide gas can have.

Exposure to varying levels of the colorless gas can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as nausea, headache, dizziness, and confusion.

Monday’s decision to keep the landfill permanently closed was the latest news to come out of a legal battle that began in April when Kearny filed a lawsuit against the NJSEA and Murphy’s Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP has since been dismissed from the case, but Hudson County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Jablonski decided that the landfill is a danger to the community and ordered its closure.

On Tuesday, the court set an April 2020 trial date for remaining claims in the case, including a demand for finances associated with the landfill, Santos said.

Very little of Hudson County’s waste was previously going to Keegan Landfill, said Norman Guerra, the CEO of the Hudson County Improvement Authority, which manages the county’s public solid waste.

The HCIA recently went out to bid for a new designated disposal facility to replace Keegan Landfill and is in the process of accepting a bid from Waste Management, which has two transfer facilities in Elizabeth and one in Fairview.

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Pennsylvania looking to join other RGGI states

Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 2 natural gas producer, and No. 3 in coal. Its governor says ‘we need to get serious’ about the climate crisis.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat. Credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images
“If we want a Pennsylvania that is habitable for our children and grandchildren, where temperatures aren’t in the 90s in October … where flooding doesn’t destroy homes and businesses over and over again, we need to get serious right now about addressing the climate crisis,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said. Photo credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Marianne Lavelle reports for Inside Climate News

Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s largest coal and natural gas-producing states, is moving to join the Northeast’s carbon market. It would mark the largest expansion of the multistate initiative since its inception a decade ago and a milestone in the drive-by states to counter the impact of the Trump administration’s retreat from climate action.

Pennsylvania would become the largest member in terms of carbon emissions of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), now a nine-state compact to curb pollution from the electricity sector.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday that joining RGGI would be a necessary step for achieving the targets for cuts in greenhouse gas pollution he set earlier this year.

“If we want a Pennsylvania that is habitable for our children and grandchildren, where temperatures aren’t in the 90s in October … where flooding doesn’t destroy homes and businesses over and over again, we need to get serious right now about addressing the climate crisis,” Wolf said.

It is not clear how far Wolf can go to join RGGI without action by the Republican-controlled state legislature. As buzz grew in the state capital earlier this year on a possible RGGI move, the Wolf administration reportedly floated a proposal that indicated legislative action would be needed to authorize spending the hundreds of millions of dollars per year in proceeds from carbon fees that the state stands to receive from its involvement in RGGI. But Wolf signed an order Thursday to begin the process of establishing the rules to govern the state’s entry to the RGGI market without waiting for the legislature.

“This is the beginning of the process,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a robust conversation with environmental advocates, the General Assembly, Pennsylvanians all across the state to figure out how we do this right.” 

Wolf said he expects Pennsylvania to be a RGGI member within the next two years.

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New Jersey, an original RGGI member that dropped out under former Republican Gov. Chris Christie, is currently moving forward with establishing the rules to rejoin RGGI, a months-long process that it expects to have in place by Jan. 1, 2020. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, tried to bring his state into RGGI but was blocked earlier this year by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature. 

Map: RGGI Member States

Pennsylvania’s move is significant because it would bring the first major fossil fuel producer into the RGGI fold. The state is second only to Texas in natural gas production, and third behind Wyoming and West Virginia in coal. Because RGGI puts a price on carbon in the electricity marketplace, it reduces demand for those fuels—with coal taking the biggest hit at first.

Wolf talked about joining RGGI during his first campaign for governor, but after taking office in 2015, it has not been a priority for his administration. Even earlier this year, when he signed an executive order setting the state’s first economy-wide targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he did not move to join RGGI. “What I try to make sure is that what I do is not too much, but not too little,” Wolf said at the time.

But a number of issues may have changed the calculus for Wolf, increasing the appeal of RGGI.

Chart: RGGI States' Electricity Generation

Pennsylvania gets 40 percent of its power from nuclear energy, about twice the national average, and the state’s nine nuclear power stations have struggled in the region’s competitive electricity market competing against abundant, cheap natural gas. Some Pennsylvania lawmakers have been pushing the idea of a direct ratepayer subsidy to bail out the nuclear industry—a move that would raise electricity prices throughout the state.

Participation in the RGGI market, in theory, would make it easier for carbon-free energy, including nuclear power, to compete against natural gas. And a recent analysis by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that electricity rates could decrease under RGGI. Wolf noted that electricity prices have fallen in the RGGI states, while rising overall in the nation.

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New York State accepting applications for urban forestry projects

Up to $1.2 million in grant funding is available for urban forestry projects across New York State. Grants are available for tree planting, maintenance, tree inventory, community forest management plans and educating those who care for public trees.

Three men planting a tree on a city street.

Eligible applicants include municipalities, public benefit corporations, public authorities, soil and water conservation districts, community colleges, not-for-profit organizations and Indian nations or tribes. Awards will range from $11,000 to $75,000, depending on municipal population. Tree inventories and community forest management plans require no match. Tree planting, maintenance, and education projects have a 25 percent match requirement.

Interested applicants must apply for the grant in Grants Gateway. Not-for-profit applicants are required to pre-qualify in the Grants Gateway system, so DEC recommends that applicants start the process well in advance of the grant application due date. DEC will not accept paper or hand-delivered grant applications. 

The deadline for applications in Grants Gateway is December 4, 2019, at 2 p.m.

DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program will host a webinar on October 10 at 9:30 a.m. to educate potential applicants on the grants process and answer questions. Application instructions and information about the October 10 webinar are available on the Grants Gateway website.

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