The 13 NJ counties that clean up the most dead deer

Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.comThe population of white-tailed deer in New Jersey has exploded and caused problems. Bill Gallo Jr. reports for NJ.com:The white-tailed deer population in New Jersey was so critically low from over-harvesting that state wildlife officials restocked some of the woodlands to revive the dwindling population.That was a century ago.The handful of deer grew through the 20th century and into the 21st until today when deer are everywhere from the most rural to even urban areas. One of the most dangerous times for motorists — and deer — is in the breeding or rutting season from mid-September through November.Where the most dead deer were collected in 2017When deer and vehicles meet, it becomes a dangerous situation.
Where the most dead deer were collected in 2017Following is a list of the 13 counties with the most deer collected after being found dead along New Jersey state highways. The figures are from the New Jersey Department of Transportation and represent just those deer carcasses picked up along state roadways. They do not include the dead deer picked up by counties and municipalities from the roads which they have jurisdiction over. All counties in New Jersey had dead deer collected from their state roads. The counties not on our list below and the number of deer collected there are: Atlantic, 69; Camden, 76; Cape May, 5; Cumberland, 36; Essex, 69; Gloucester, 87; Hudson, 6; and Salem, 50.13. Union County13. Union CountyDuring 2017 in Union County there were 97 dead deer picked up from state highways. That number is up by 28 from the 69 collected in 2016.  12. Burlington County12. Burlington CountyIn 2017, the state Department of Transportation picked up 155 deer carcasses from the roadways it has jurisdiction over in Burlington County. That number is just two more than the 153 that were gathered from the state roads there in 2016.11. Passaic County11. Passaic CountyIn Passaic County, the state picked up 183 dead deer from its roadways in 2017. That number is 63 more than the 120 collected in 2016.10. Ocean CountyIn Ocean County the state collected 304 dead deer in 2017 along the roadways over which it has jurisdiction. That number is 55 more than the 249 collected in 2016 on those same roads.9. Bergen CountyIn Bergen County the number of dead deer collected by the Department of Transportation from its roadways in 2017 totaled 340. In 2016, 308 deer carcasses were picked up, 32 fewer. 8. Sussex CountyIn rural Sussex County, in the northwestern corner of the state, 355 dead deer where removed from its roads by the Department of Transportation in 2017. That’s 19 less than the 374 collected from the roads there in 2016, the state says.7. Warren CountyWarren County is one of the state’s most rural areas where deer are plentiful. During 2017, 438 dead deer were picked up along state roads. That’s down by one from 2016 when 439 were collected.6. Middlesex CountyIn Middlesex County, 482 dead deer were collected from roadways the state has jurisdiction over in 2017. During 2016, 3 fewer deer — 479 — were picked up, according to officials. 5. Mercer CountyMercer County had 539 deer carcasses carried away from its state roads in 2017, down 27 from the 566 collected in 2016, according to officials.4. Morris CountyIn 2017, 624 dead deer were picked up from state roads in Morris County. That number is down 62 from the 686 that were found in 2016, according to state officials.3. Hunterdon CountyIn Hunterdon County, 888 deer carcasses were collected in 2017 from its roads, the state says.  The number was 45 more — 933 — in 2016.2. Somerset CountyThe state Department of Transportation picked up 930 dead deer during 2017 from the roads it has jurisdiction over in Somerset County, officials say. That’s a big jump, 120 more than the 810 collected in 2016.1. Monmouth CountyOnce again, the most dead deer picked up from along state roadways in a single county in 2017 was in Monmouth.  There, 1,026 carcasses were collected, 27 more than in 2016 when 999 dead deer were removed.Accidents with deer are most common in rural areas. (File Photo)You can make sure dead deer are picked upThe New Jersey Department of Transportation is responsible for removing deer carcasses from interstate and state highways. Individual counties and municipalities are responsible for removing deer and other dead animals on roadways under their jurisdiction.In the calendar year 2017, NJDOT removed 6,762 dead deer from its roads. That’s 237 more, officials said, than were collected in 2016 by the state — 6,525.Go online at http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/potholeform.shtm and report the location of deer carcasses seen on state roads on the NJDOT website or call 1-800-POTHOLE (This is the same site and number to report potholes, litter, or other maintenance issues).Like this? Click to receive free updates

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Garden State salad lovers, emerge from your bunkers

The good stuff. A  field of New Jersey romaine lettuce  (NJ Department of  Agriculture)

By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics editorIn the mood for a nice, crisp salad filled with romaine lettuce?


If it was grown in New Jersey, you needn’t be concerned by those pre-Thanksgiving health warnings.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture today announced:

“The U.S. Food
& Drug Administration and Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention have
announced that their agencies have narrowed down the source of contaminated
romaine lettuce at the heart of a recent outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, and
that no New Jersey-grown lettuce is connected to the outbreak.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, therefore, reminds
consumers and retailers that romaine lettuce grown in New Jersey can be
purchased with confidence. Consumers should make sure that any romaine they buy
is clearly labeled as to where it was produced.
In announcing the
modification of its earlier advisory against eating any romaine, the FDA said
in a statement that, “There is no recommendation for consumers or
retailers to avoid using romaine lettuce that is certain to have been harvested
from areas outside of the Central Coast growing regions of northern and central
California.”

Like California doesn’t have enough problems already.
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NJ lawmakers tap $170M in pollution damages for habitats

Money from ExxonMobil case would be part of allotment for several restoration projects, but environmentalists concerned that funds are not properly targeted


Seagulls

Tom Johnson reports
for NJ Spotlight:
The state is moving to spend tens of millions of dollars on restoration of natural resources, an issue that led to voter approval last year of a constitutional amendment preventing money from pollution settlements being diverted to plug budget deficits.
The Senate Environment and Energy Committee yesterday approved legislation (S-3110) that would funnel more than $160 million from two natural-resource damage claims to a range of habitat restoration and water quality improvement projects.
The bill includes $50 million to be set aside from a controversial $225 million settlement with ExxonMobil to clean up contamination of more than 1,800 acres of wetlands and marshes around two refineries it operated in Linden and Bayonne. The bulk of the settlement — $125 million — was diverted to the general fund by the Murphy administration and $50 million covered attorney fees in the protracted litigation in the ExxonMobil case.
Those diversions, common during Gov. Chris Christie’s two terms, were supposed to end with approval in the fall of 2017 of a constitutional amendment dedicating funds from natural-resource damage claims to restoration and other environmental projects. The Murphy administration contended the amendment did not apply to the ExxonMobil settlement, a stance backed by a legal opinion from the Office of Legislative Services.
The legislation also allocates another $110 million from a separate natural-resource damage settlement to a range of environmental projects, including $30 million to prevent saltwater intrusion in groundwater supplies in Cape May and $19 million to restore the Atlantic White Cedar watershed in South Jersey.

Cleaning up the Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Other restoration projects that will be covered by the legislation include $10 million to improve water quality in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary by fixing combined sewer overflow systems that often spew raw sewage into waterways during heavy rainfall. Another $20 million is targeted for improvements to water supply and wastewater treatment systems and $10 million for habitat restoration.
That separate natural-resource damage claim involved a lawsuit brought more than a decade ago against three oil companies charged with polluting groundwater with a potential human carcinogen, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).
Environmentalists, who lobbied hard for the constitutional amendment, expressed concern the bill allocating the money did not specifically target it on areas harmed by the pollution incidents.
“The bill is too vague on where the money is going to go,’’ said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We want to make sure the funding for restoration projects is going directly to areas impacted by Exxon.’’
But Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), the chairman of the committee, disagreed. “I think that it’s just fabulous,’’ he said, saying it is the first time money from pollution settlements is being allocated to the restoration of natural resources since the constitutional amendment was approved. “It’s a shame we didn’t do it before.’’

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Bridgegate appeal denied, ex-Christie associates face jail

Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni leaving federal court after sentencing in Newark last year. (Julio Cortez | AP file photos)
 Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni leaving federal court after sentencing in Newark last year. (Julio Cortez | AP file photos)


Ted Sherman reports for NJ.com:
A federal appeals court today upheld a major part of the convictions of two members of former Gov. Chris Christie’s inner circle in the high-profile Bridgegate scandal of political retribution that played out five years ago on the world’s busiest bridge.
However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia threw out a part of the case dealing with civil rights violations against the two former Christie associates.
The ruling will likely mean that both Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly will now face prison. Both have remained free since their trial pending the appeal.
In its 78-page ruling, the court said federal prosecutors presented evidence sufficient to prove that the two fraudulently obtained the labor of public employees, and in a harsh rebuke, said there was no “legitimate justification” for Baroni and Kelly’s conduct.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office said it was “reviewing the opinion and is grateful for the court’s consideration of all of the issues raised in the appeal.”

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Legal marijuana bills advance as NJ Senate hearing draws large crowd of interests seeking to testify for and against

In all, almost 100 witnesses were scheduled to testify and scores of others submitted statements for and against. But Monday was a rare opportunity to see an actual, sometimes strident, debate on the merits of the bills. 

 Click small arrow at center of video to view David Cruz’ report for NJTV News


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Chemical leak at this plant stopped holiday traffic cold

Joseph N. DiStefano reports for the Philadelphia Inquirer:


The Croda chemical plant at Atlas Point on the Delaware River, which was recently expanded by its British owners to produce two tons of hazardous ethylene oxide per hour so the material didn’t have to be shipped from Texas by rail, was shut down due to a leak on Sunday afternoon, stopping holiday traffic on I-295 over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and jamming drivers on the direct routes between New York and Washington, D.C.

Hazardous materials crews converged on the plant as traffic was diverted off both spans of the bridge just north of the 140-acre complex, causing extensive traffic jams along I-95, I-495, the New Jersey Turnpike, and feeder routes in Delaware, New Jersey, and Delaware County, Pa. The Delaware River and Bay Authority, which maintains the bridge, and New Castle County police, who cover the area including the plant, had no immediate reports of injuries. The bridge reopened to motorists around 11:30 p.m.

In a statement after the bridge reopened, Croda marketing officer Cara Eaton said the gas was contained, added that local emergency responders had left the site, acknowledged the “significant inconvenience,” and promised an investigation in hopes of not doing it again.


The plant, which employs 250 after its recent expansion to make surfactants for a long list of industrial customers, had been faced with a possible shutdown after Sunoco’s ethylene plant, 12 miles north on the Pennsylvania-Delaware state line, caught fire and burned in 2009. Sunoco decided that plant wasn’t worth fixing. Its successors converted the adjacent oil refinery into a gasworks, though they continued to use the ethylene site to burn waste fuels, for which they were fined $750,000 by Delaware last year.

Sunoco’s shutdown cut off the key raw material Croda used to help Atlas Point’s clients make antifreeze, DuPont crop-seed coatings, and the mixing and separating agents used in processed foods, natural-gas fracking, and other industries, among other ethylene-derived materials.

Instead of closing, the company invested $170 million — with $2.5 million from Delaware taxpayers, plus tax abatements — to make ethylene from ethanol, the same simple alcohol that makes you drunk. The job employed 250 temporary contractor workers during its two-year construction and added 35 permanent workers represented by the United Steelworkers to the 215 working there before the expansion.

Useful as it is, ethylene is explosive, a carcinogen, and poisonous — a base for pesticides and the lethal mustard gas outlawed after World War I. DuPont made ethylene at its sprawling Chambers Works across the river from Atlas Point, but that plant (now operated mostly by spin-off Chemours) has reduced operations. After Sunoco shut its ethylene works, the closest U.S. suppliers were in the Houston-area petrochemical complex.


When Sunoco put Croda on notice, “the ethylene world was in flux,” Bob Stewart, who managed Atlas Point at that time, said in an interview before Sunday’s leak. Stewart is now Croda’s managing director of operations, overseeing Atlas Point and other works in places including Mill Hall, Pa., near Lock Haven, and the research lab in Edison, N.J.

“Suppliers didn’t want the risk of sending railcars north” with the danger of leaks, he told me. They urged Croda to shut the Delaware River plant and build a new facility near the Gulf Coast.

“We looked at relocation,” Stewart said. But Croda had already invested $100 million in Atlas Point since taking over the site in 2006. Among other “sustainable” processes meeting a company mandate to reduce its carbon footprint, Croda updated a pipeline to burn waste gas from Wilmington’s nearby Cherry Island landfill, installed LED lighting, and added a solar panel electric field (which it’s now expanding).

Most important, Stewart said, his specialized, reliable workforce — the plant claimed over a million work-hours since its last time-lost injury — was unwilling to move all the way to the Gulf Coast: “That wasn’t the life they were used to.”

So, instead of writing it down as a loss, Croda bought an ethylene production process using silver as a catalyst to make the chemical from common ethanol. Refined from grain or farm waste, ethanol is flammable — usually added to U.S. automotive fuel — but much safer than ethylene to ship by rail. The process was already in use at plants in China and India, but Atlas Point was its first U.S. installation, Stewart said. Croda hired Rockwell Automation to build a digital-process control and monitoring system for the 120,000-square-foot plant expansion.

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