EnviroPolitics Blog

Bill to control public use of a pesticide harmful to bees advances in NJ Senate but could face floor amendments

An attorney for the National Resouces Development Council told the committee that neonicotinoids were found in 90 percent of surface water samples in Bergen County, with all being above federal safety limits.

By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor

Legislation sponsored by the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee Chair Senator Bob Smith and Senator Christopher Bateman, that would direct the Department of Environmental Protection to classify neonicotinoid pesticides as restricted use pesticides, cleared the Senate Environment and Energy committee on Thursday (6/6/19).

“The use of neonicotinoid pesticides must be restricted to protect New Jersey’s citizens and environment,” said Senator Smith (D-Middlesex / Somerset). “These insecticides should only be used by those who know the ramifications of excessive use and those who will use them appropriately to protect New Jersey’s agriculture and economy.”

The bill, S2288, would direct the Department of Environmental Protection to classify neonicotinoid pesticides as restricted use pesticides. This classification would mean that neonicotinoids could only be purchased and used by certified and licensed pesticide applicators or by those under the direct supervision of these applicators

Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. The neonicotinoid family includes acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, nithiazine, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam.

They have been linked to adverse ecological effects such as honey-bee colony collapse disorder. This bill follows similar bills that have been passed in other states and the European Union to curb the negative ecological effects of neonicotinoid pesticides.

A number of New Jersey environmental organizations went on record in support of the legislation. Representatives from the chemical industry, retail stores, and landscapers, however, said the measure was too broadly written and could limit efforts to fight invasive species.

The NJ Farm Bureau said the bill would not have a significant on state farmers since most already are certified to apply insecticides or hire licensed applicators when necessary.

Senator Smith said he might consider floor amendments that would limit the bill’s application.

An identical bill, A4562, sponsored by Assemblymen Clinton Calabrese and Raj Mukherji, has seen no action in the Assembly Agriculture and National Resources Committee since it was introduced and referred there on October 15, 2018

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Major union, SEIU, endorses Green New Deal. Others remain skeptical

ZACK BUDRYK reports for The Hill – 06/06/19 03:07 PM EDT

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on Thursday endorsed the Green New Deal, putting it at odds with other unions that have been critical of the ambitious environmental agenda.

SEIU’s International Executive Board passed a resolution in support of the sweeping environmental proposal at its board meeting in Minneapolis.

“We’ve been inspired by the fearlessness and courage of the climate change activists whose direct action and bold demands for change have put this issue front and center in the national conversation,” said Mary Kay Henry, the international president of SEIU. “The Green New Deal makes unions central to accomplishing the ambitious goal of an environmentally responsible and economically just society.”

SEIU called the Green New Deal vitally important for people of color, saying their communities are most impacted by the environmental issues the proposal is intended to address. The union added that its members support “immediate, bold action” on climate change.

SEIU said it is the first national union to endorse the Green New Deal.

Other union leaders have been skeptical of the environmental proposal introduced earlier this year by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

Terry O’Sullivan, general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America called the Green New Deal “exactly how not to enact a progressive agenda to address our nation’s dangerous income inequality” and “exactly how not to win support for critical measures to curb climate change.”

Separately, seven unions told House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) that they had “grave concerns about unrealistic solutions such as those advocated” by the Green New Deal.

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Michael Bloomberg promises $500M to help end coal power and slow natural gas

Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, in January. In a statement, he said he saw “virtually no hope” of immediate government action on climate change.
Photo creditCreditManuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times

WASHINGTON — Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, said on Friday he would donate $500 million to a new campaign to close every coal-fired power plant in the United States and halt the growth of natural gas.

The new campaign, called Beyond Carbon, is designed to help eliminate coal by focusing on state and local governments. The effort will bypass Washington, where Mr. Bloomberg has said national action appears unlikely because of a divided Congress and a president who denies the established science of climate change.

“We’re in a race against time with climate change, and yet there is virtually no hope of bold federal action on this issue for at least another two years,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement before the announcement, which he made in a commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Mother Nature is not waiting on our political calendar, and neither can we.”

President Trump has made reviving what he has called “clean, beautiful coal” a cornerstone of his energy agenda.

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg said most of the money would be spent over the next three years, though the time frame could be extended. It will fund lobbying efforts by environmental groups — in state legislatures, City Councils and public utility commissions — that aim to close coal plants and replace them with wind, solar and other renewable power. Part of the cash also will go toward efforts to elect local lawmakers who prioritize clean energy.

The campaign will be based on the need to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change, but will also emphasize the economic benefits of switching to clean energy.

Read the full story

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EPA curbs state power to deny permits due to climate concerns

Ariel Wittenberg, E&E News reporter
Greenwire: Friday, June 7, 2019

EPA headquarters. Photo credit: EPA/Wikipedia — U.S. EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. EPA/Wikipedia

EPA says it can issue federal permits for projects, including pipelines, regardless of whether states raise questions about impacts to climate change or air pollution.

Section 401 of the Clean Water Act gives states the right to “certify” that projects requiring federal permits comply with both the act and their water quality standards. That means projects being permitted federally by EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also must be approved, denied or approved with conditions by states.

In recent years, New York and Washington have used this certification process to deny permits for pipelines and coal terminals not just due to water quality concerns, but also because of their contribution to air pollution and climate change.

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Guidance issued today by EPA seeks to limit that practice. The guidance is meant as a stand-in while EPA works on formal regulations.

The guidance itself doesn’t carry the rule of law, and therefore states are not bound by it. But it serves as a significant warning shot. States that ignore EPA guidance could well find themselves in court, either fighting EPA for ignoring their certification decisions or fighting with industry.

It says that state certifications should be limited to water quality issues and standards described in the Clean Water Act.

If a state tries to deny a permit or place conditions on it unrelated to water quality, EPA says federal agencies should discuss whether the state has waived its right to certify the project and allow the permit to proceed anyway.

“Though Section 401 envisions a robust state and tribal role in federal permitting and licensing process, it places limitations on how that role may be implemented to maintain an efficient permitting process within the overall cooperative federalism construct established by the (Clean Water Act),” EPA wrote.

The guidance document also limits how much time states have to make their certification decisions.

The Clean Water Act itself gives them up to a year but does not say whether that timeline begins once a permit application has been received or once a state deems it has enough information to make a decision.

Read the full story

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Duke Farms Partners with Rutgers on Evaluating Natural Climate Solutions

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Duke Farms and Rutgers University are collaborating to conduct research on natural solutions to climate change.

The Duke Farms property is the site of a range of wetlands, grasslands, stream corridor, and lakeshore restorations, afforestation and reforestation projects, as well as sustainable farming practices. These areas and practices offer great promise as natural ways to sequester carbon.

“The very forward-thinking team of land managers at Duke Farms is providing us with an exciting living laboratory opportunity to conduct research regarding carbon sinks that will have value for these types of vegetative and agronomic systems within and beyond our region,” said Marjorie Kaplan, associate director of the Rutgers Climate Institute and research project director.

“Applied research such as this project, which will help improve practices and technologies at the critical nexus of agriculture, natural resources, and climate change, is a prime example of Rutgers’ land grant mission,” said Bradley Hillman, director of research at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers.

Rutgers University researchers will conduct research and monitoring on-site at Duke Farms, starting with baseline data to understand carbon stocks associated with various land types and land management strategies. They plan to devise strategies to remove significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it in soils and vegetation (referred to as a carbon sink).

There are three main components to establishing this carbon mitigation and research monitoring program:

• Field Sampling and Assessment Elements: measuring vegetation and soil carbon in different land types and uses (e.g., forest lands, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands);
• Scaling Up Element: estimating Duke Farms’ baseline carbon stocks and sequestration based on the field sampling, mapped soils, vegetation and terrain data, and computer modeling;
• Carbon Footprint Element: estimating the net greenhouse gas emissions supporting the operation of Duke Farms in comparison to the amount of carbon stored at DukeFarms.

Through this partnership with Rutgers Climate Institute, Duke Farms seeks to demonstrate techniques in mitigating climate change through minimizing carbon emissions and maximizing the 2,742-acre property as a carbon sink. Ideally, these practices can be replicated by private and public landowners to empower people in the face of climate change.

“Natural climate solutions offer a great opportunity to complement emissions reductions and prevent the worst adverse impacts of climate change,” said Michael Catania, executive director of Duke Farms. “While there has been much discussion of these solutions in the recent scientific literature, what is needed now are specific, scientifically valid data generated by monitoring recent restoration projects and changed farming practices. Our partnership with Rutgers should address that need and help demonstrate the efficacy of using natural climate solutions.”

About Duke Farms: Duke Farms Foundation is a leader of environmental stewardship and education. Through the beauty of its natural setting, the diversity of its wildlife and the scope and quality of its programming and research, Duke Farms inspires people to transform their approach to conservation and to start building a more sustainable future. Duke Farms is a private, non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization, which is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, 501(c)(3).

About Rutgers Climate Institute: Rutgers Climate Institute is a university-wide effort to address one of the most important issues of our time through research, education, and outreach. The Institute draws upon the strengths in many departments at Rutgers University by facilitating collaboration across a broad range of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the humanities, engineering, law, and medicine. Faculty affiliates are scholars whose research covers areas as close to home as the Raritan River and Jersey Shore and as far away as Africa and Indonesia. A key aspect of Rutgers Climate Institute is public outreach, education, and service to New Jersey.

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Young Alaska sockeye salmon leaving home early these days. Is climate change the cause?

Adult sockeye salmon returning to spawn in the lakes of Bristol Bay, Alaska
Photo Credit: Jason Ching/University of Washington

From Michelle Ma, University of Washington

Newswise — An ample buffet of freshwater food, brought on by climate change, is altering the life history of one of the world’s most important salmon species.

Sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region are skipping an entire year in freshwater because climate change has produced more favorable conditions in lakes and streams, which allow the young fish to grow and put on weight much faster. Previously, these fish would spend up to two years in their birth lakes before heading to the ocean, where they feed and reach maturity two to three years later. Now they are more likely to head out to sea after only one year.

These findings were published May 27 in Nature Ecology & Evolution by University of Washington researchers.

“Climate change is literally speeding up the early part of their lifecycle across the whole region,” said senior author Daniel Schindler, a UW professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. “We know climate warming is making rivers more productive for the food juvenile salmon eat, meaning their growth rate is speeding up. That puts the salmon on a growth trajectory that moves them to the ocean faster.”

But this “jumpstart” in freshwater doesn’t necessarily benefit salmon in the long run. The same fish are now spending an extra year in the ocean, taking longer to grow and mature. This extra year at sea is likely caused by climate stressors, as well as other fish: In the ocean, wild sockeye compete for food with close to 6 billion hatchery-raised salmon released each year throughout the North Pacific Ocean. That number has grown steadily since the 1970s, when only half a billion hatchery salmon were released.

“Hatchery fish have really changed the competitive environment for juvenile salmon in the ocean,” said lead author Timothy Cline, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan who completed this work as a doctoral student at the UW. “In Bristol Bay, the habitat is totally intact and fisheries management is excellent, but these fish are living in lakes warming with climate change, then competing with other salmon for food in the ocean.”

The researchers drew on nearly 60 years of Bristol Bay sockeye data to tease out these changes over time, including information gathered by scientists and students in the UW’s Alaska Salmon Program. Close to half of the world’s wild sockeye is caught from this region, and more than 40 million fish usually return each year to Bristol Bay’s nine river systems to spawn.

Higher temperatures in the region have caused lakes and rivers to warm up earlier each spring, fueling the growth of tiny plankton that young sockeye eat. This extra food essentially fattens up the fish a year earlier, triggering their migration to the ocean.

This trend could negatively impact the resiliency of the Bristol Bay sockeye population, the authors said. Before, not every fish in a particular “age class” would migrate to the ocean in the same year, and any given year would see fish of different ages moving out to sea. This diversity of ages has helped the species navigate risks and survive.

But now, most sockeye are migrating at the same time, as 1-year-olds. This could devastate an entire age class if the ocean conditions happen to be poor one year. Additionally, scientists don’t know how many salmon the North Pacific can actually support.

“With climate change, is there a limit to how productive the ocean will become? We just don’t know where there’s a tipping point, especially as we fill the ocean with hatchery competitors,” Schindler said. “We need to be really cognizant about overstressing the marine resources that support wild salmon.”

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