Energy and Environment bills scheduled for action in Trenton Thursday (5/16) and Monday (5/20)

By Frank Brill
EnviroPolitics Editor

After weeks devoted to hearings on the 2019-2020 state budget, all committees of the New Jersey Legislature are back to work, as demonstrated by the following list of agriculture, energy and environment bills scheduled tomorrow and Monday.  

Bill:               A5160
Sponsors:    Houghtaling (D11); Dancer (R12)
Summary:   Directs to Department of Agriculture to establish a grant program for counties to study and develop methods of tick control; appropriates $1 million.
History:        03/11/2019—Introduced and referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 15, Annex.

Bill:               A5171
Sponsors:    Houghtaling (D11)
Summary:   Permits pet dogs in farmers markets under certain circumstances. 
History:        03/11/2019—Introduced and referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. 
Scheduled: 05/16/2019—Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 15, Annex.

Bill:               A834 
Sponsors:    Land (D1); Andrzejczak (D1); Bucco (R25); Milam (D1) 
Summary:   Provides free admission to State parks, forests, and beaches for certain veterans and military personnel. 
History:        01/09/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, 10:00a, 4th Floor, Committee Room 13, Annex.

Bill:               A3726 
Sponsors:    Gusciora (D15); Kennedy (D22); Calabrese (D36); Reynolds‑Jackson (D15) 
Summary:   Requires large food waste generators to separate and recycle food waste and amends the definition of “Class I renewable energy.” 
History:        03/26/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, 2:00p, 3rd Floor, Committee Room 9, Annex.
                     05/20/2019—Assembly Appropriations Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 11, Annex.

Bill:               A4535
Sponsors:    Zwicker (D16); DePhillips (R40); DeCroce (R26) +2
Summary:   Establishes the “Energy Infrastructure Public‑Private Partnership Act.”
History:        10/15/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. 
Scheduled: 05/16/2019—Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, 2:00p, 3rd Floor, Committee Room 9, Annex. 

Bill:               A4781 
Sponsors:    Johnson (D37); Conaway (D7); Zwicker (D16)
Summary:   Establishes NJ Fuel Cell Task Force to increase the use of fuel cells in State.
History:        12/06/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. 
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, 2:00p, 3rd Floor, Committee Room 9, Annex.

Bill:               S2436
Sponsors:    Diegnan (D18); Greenstein (D14)
Summary:   Directs BPU to develop and implement an electric school bus pilot program.
History:        04/05/2018—Introduced and referred to the Senate Economic Growth Committee.
Scheduled:     05/16/2019—Senate Economic Growth Committee, 10:30a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 1, Annex 

Bill:               A3810 Aca (1R) 
Sponsors:    Andrzejczak (D1); Houghtaling (D11); Dancer (R12) +4
Summary:   Establishes “Value‑Added Dairy Farming Program” and associated revolving loan fund in EDA. 
History:        04/05/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
                     06/14/2018—Reported out of committee with committee amendments, 2nd reading in Assembly.
Scheduled:  05/20/2019—Assembly Appropriations Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 11, Annex.

Bill:               A4529 
Sponsors:    Mazzeo (D2); Armato (D2) +2 
Summary:   Concerns reimbursements to Superstorm Sandy‑impacted homeowners subjected to contractor fraud. 
History:        10/15/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs.             12/03/2018—Reported out of committee, referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Scheduled:  05/20/2019—Assembly Appropriations Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 11, Annex.

Bill:               A4772 Aca (1R) 
Sponsors:    Schaer (D36); Mukherji (D33); Vainieri Huttle (D37) +4 
Summary:   Requires public water systems to provide customers with certain information regarding lead in drinking water.
History:        12/06/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee. 
                    03/11/2019—Reported out of committee with committee amendments, referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee. 
Scheduled:  05/20/2019—Assembly Appropriations Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 11, Annex.

Bill:               A4821 
Sponsors:    Vainieri Huttle (D37); Pinkin (D18); Kennedy (D22) +
Summary:   Establishes new timeframes for implementation of certain requirements in “Global Warming Response Act”; requires DEP to adopt a strategy to reduce short‑lived climate pollutants. 
History:        12/17/2018—Introduced and referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee.
01/24/2019—Reported out of committee, referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee. 
Scheduled:  05/20/2019—Assembly Appropriations Committee, 1:00p, 4th Floor, Committee Room 11, Annex.

Bill:               S2436
Sponsors:    Diegnan (D18); Greenstein (D14)
Summary:   Directs BPU to develop and implement electric school bus pilot program. 
History:        04/05/2018—Introduced and referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee. 
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Senate Economic Growth Committee, 10:30a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 1, Annex.

Bill:               S2112 
Sponsors:    Cardinale (R39); Smith (D17) +5
Summary:   Allows cultivation of commercial shellfish species in certain coastal and inner harbor waters for research and educational purposes and repeals law that allows DEP to adopt certain regulations concerning such cultivation. 
History:        03/05/2018—Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10:00a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 6, Annex.

Bill:               S2958 
Sponsors:    Sarlo (D36); Oroho (R24) +1
Summary:   Establishes the “Energy Infrastructure Public‑Private Partnership Act.” 
History:        09/17/2018—Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10:00a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 6, Annex.

Bill:               S3215  
Sponsors:    Greenstein (D14); Singleton (D7) 
Summary:   Requires State to use 20‑year time horizon and most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report when calculating global warming potential to measure global warming impact of greenhouse gases.
History:        12/03/2018—Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee. 
Scheduled:  05/16/2019—Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10:00a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 6, Annex.

Bill:               S3681 
Sponsors:    Smith (D17); Bateman (R16); Greenstein (D14)
Summary:   Requires, by the energy year 2050, all electric power sold in NJ by each electric power supplier and basic generation service provider to be from zero‑carbon sources. 
History:        05/13/2019—Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee. 
Scheduled: 05/16/2019—Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10:00a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 6, Annex.

Bill:               SCR156
Sponsors:    Singleton (D7); Bateman (R16) +2 
Summary:   Strongly urges DEP to adopt standards for certain drinking water contaminants as recommended by the NJ Drinking Water Quality Institute. 
History:        02/21/2019—Introduced and referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
Scheduled: 05/16/2019—Senate Environment and Energy Committee, 10:00a, 1st Floor, Committee Room 6, Annex. 

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PADEP rejects proposed Elcon chemical waste plant, citing deficiencies

The DEP issued a draft decision Wednesday to reject a controversial application to build a hazardous waste treatment facility near the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.

Kyle Bagenstose reports for the Doylestown Intelligencer

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday rejected a proposal to build a hazardous waste treatment center located across the Delaware River from Burlington County.

The decision appears to be a significant setback for Elcon Recycling Services LLC, which has been working for years to try and win approval for the controversial facility. According to the company, the facility would process between 150,000 and 210,000 tons of chemical and pharmaceutical waste each year, on a 23-acre plot of land in the Keystone Industrial Port Complex, formerly the footprint of U.S. Steel.

“After a rigorous review of the application, supplemental materials submitted by the company, and input from the public, DEP will not approve this application in its current form,” DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said in a prepared statement. “Unless the company can address these outstanding deficiencies, DEP will have no choice but to move forward with a full application denial.”

As alluded to by McDonnell, the decision is not a final blow. Virginia Cain, regional spokeswoman for the DEP, said the notice was only a “draft” decision that noted 18 deficiencies in Elcon’s application to treat hazardous waste. There will be a 45-day comment period from June 1 to July 15, at which time Elcon could potentially submit materials to correct the deficiencies.

“If Elcon doesn’t satisfy that, then we would move forward with the denial,” Cain said, adding that DEP could also choose to accept the changes and put forth a draft permit.

A DEP statement accompanying the draft denial lays out the deficiencies. Among the issues are Elcon’s final plans having a large footprint than was laid out in an initial site review, omissions of pertinent documents in its application, the proposed pathways for vehicles to navigate the property, and concerns over environmental monitoring.

Detailing one deficiency, the DEP said it wanted Elcon to conduct quarterly groundwater sampling, as opposed to Elcon’s proposal it only conduct such sampling in the event of a spill. Such monitoring would “provide the best assurance of the earliest detection of any releases from hazardous waste management units,” the DEP wrote.

The DEP also wants assurances that Elcon has identified appropriate hazardous waste landfills to dispose of solids left over after treatment, clarification on whether or not it would accept PCB-contaminated wastes, and a correction that estimates show the facility will hire 55 employees, not 120. DEP said Elcon estimated the higher number based on a theoretical future expansion.

Fred Stine, citizen action coordinator for the Bristol Borough-based nonprofit Delaware Riverkeeper Network, cheered the decision.

“The sun is out, both literally and figuratively,” Stine said. “I think it’s another nail in the coffin … but it’s not the final denial.

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How healthy is water at NJ surfing beaches after storms flush sewers?

Monmouth U. to study water pollution at surfing beaches

(From a Monmouth University press release)

Surfing at the Jersey Shore – Asbury Park Press photo

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Monmouth University scientists and students have begun a yearlong study on the linkage between rainfall and microbial pollution at surfing beaches in New Jersey including Asbury Park, Deal and Long Branch. The work will be conducted through a $30,000 contract with the Surfers’ Environmental Alliance [1] (SEA).

Microbial pollution, the contamination of water with pathogens that can make people sick, is a problem in densely populated coastal areas around the world. At some of Monmouth County’s most popular surfing beaches, municipal storm drains and outflow pipes discharge directly into the surf zone.

“We’ve heard stories from surfers about how the water sometimes smells and looks different at these beaches after heavy rainstorms,” said Endowed Associate Professor of Marine Science Jason Adolf of Monmouth University’s School of Science and Urban Coast Institute. “However, no data have been gathered to back up the anecdotal evidence about the magnitude of the problem.”

Monmouth University Specialist Professor Jeff Weisburg, the project co-lead, added that there is a significant gap in the state’s sampling program because it is primarily focused on the busiest bathing beaches in the summer tourism season.

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Forsythe Wildlife Refuge celebrates 80 years of nature on the wing

Marjorie Preston reports for the Atlantic City Press

Visitors to the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville will find lots of airborne companions: flocks of water fowl and warbling songbirds, egrets and eagles, hawks and hummingbirds.

This unspoiled sanctuary — more than 47,000 acres of it, stretching from Atlantic County to Brick Township — offers a glimpse of what local coastal landscapes may have looked like a century ago, before the region was developed (and overdeveloped).

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Season to season, the vast expanse of saltmarshes, isolated shores, and wooded trails is a favorite stopover for migratory birds like snowy owls, snow geese, Canada geese, mallards and others, some of which flock here by the tens of thousands to rest and feed before taking flight again.

Naturalist Kyle Chelius of Mullica Hill, who leads bird walks at the refuge every Friday morning, says Forsythe is “one of the greatest places in New Jersey to see birds,” as popular among avid birders as its friendly rival, Cape May. Both are key links in the 3,000-mile Atlantic Flyway, a sort of expressway for migrating birds that ranges from the Arctic tundra of Baffin Island to the fair climes of the Caribbean.

Walk on the wild side

Conveniently located along Route 9 in Galloway Township, Forsythe Wildlife Refuge—part of the National Wildlife Refuge System — is remarkably untouched by the tumult of modern life. This is a world of shimmering waters, waving grasses, native greenery and abundant wildlife, in the air, on foot and in the water. There’s a kind of hush about the place, punctuated only by birdsong and the occasional rustle of wings.

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May Heat Shrinks Washington Snowpack, Raising Risk for Tight Water Flows for Fish and Farmers

The Pacific Northwest is experiencing surging spring heat that is prompting red-flag warnings for fire risks in southwest Washington. With statewide snowpack only 58 percent of the median, state officials are preparing for summer drought, which can raise the potential for wildfires, reduce irrigation flows to farmers and make life difficult for salmon.

Read the full Seattle Times story here


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Rutgers students vote to slash funding for student paper. Daily Targum could shut down.

Editor’s Note: As a former student journalist, I find the headline to be disturbing. But I’m too far removed from any college campus–in age or location–to understand how this happened. So, we’re asking Rutgers students, recent grads, and faculty for their opinions. Why has the student newspaper lost the support of its readers? Inferior or irrelevant product? A generation of students disinterested in print news? A reaction to college fees? Please click on the ‘comment’ line or use our Facebook page to respond. We also welcome comment from students at other colleges and universities–Frank Brill

By Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The future of Rutgers University’s independent student newspaper is in question after losing all of its funding from student fees, the primary source of revenue for the 151-year-old The Daily Targum.

Not enough students voted to continue supporting an $11.25 student fee in a recent campus referendum, gutting the paper of its largest and most reliable source of revenue, the paper announced on Monday night.

“It’s kind of up in the air right now,” Sandy Giacobbe, The Daily Targum’s business manager, said of the future. “The Targum is in uncharted territory.”

Giacobbe, a junior, wouldn’t say what percentage of total revenue will be lost or speculate about whether the paper may reduce its current five-day print schedule.

The failed referendum is the the first complete loss of student fee funding since the paper became independent of the university in 1980, he said.

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In a statement, The Daily Targum pledged to continue serving the Rutgers community.

“We do not know what the future holds, but the Targum Publishing Company’s Board of Trustees and staff will be working to address this funding crisis,” the paper tweeted.

The paper began printing at Rutgers in 1869 and has been a training ground for thousands of professional journalists ever since. But many independent college newspapers, like media companies, have struggled to stay afloat amid declining print circulation and advertising revenue, leading them to scale back print operations and focus on their websites.

Some college papers have recently turned to students fees as a solution, asking the student body to vote to approve new fees to support campus journalism.

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