After outcry, Trump backs off on elephant ‘trophies’

An elephant shot dead by British big game hunter David Barrett in 2009 in Zimbabwe. (Barcoft Media via Getty Images)
Ashley Parker and Juliet Eilperin report for The Washington Post:
President Trump abruptly reversed his administration’s Thursday decision to allow elephants shot for sport in Zimbabwe and Zambia to be imported back to the United States as trophies, saying in a tweet Friday night that he was putting the decision “on hold” until further review.
“Put big game trophy decision on hold until such time as I review all conservation facts,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Under study for years. Will update soon with Secretary Zinke. Thank you!”
Trump’s sudden tweet halted a decision by his own administration, announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday, to end a 2014 government ban on big-game trophy hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia, saying it would help the conservation of the species. Under U.S. law the remains of African elephants, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, can only be imported if federal officials have determined that hunting them benefits the species more broadly.
But the Fish and Wildlife decision almost immediately was met with a fierce backlash and outcry from animal rights activists and environmentalists — as well as prominent conservatives, and a key House committee chairman.
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Water quality rule changes keep NJ testing labs busy



In our second of three video reports from the NJ State League of Municipalities Convention, we chat with Harvey Klein of Garden State Laboratories.


He discusses proposed, recent and future rule changes likely to affect commercial pools, public water treatment facilities, and even private wells. 

Do you have thoughts on water testing that you’d like to share? Just click on the tiny ‘comments’ link below


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Before you say adios to Gov. Chris Christie, read this


By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics editor
Between now and the end of 2017, you will encounter a truckload of recollections, reassessments and critiques of Chris Christie’s eight tumultuous–sometimes amazing and ultimately exhausting–years as New Jersey’s governor.
I’m not sure that I have the inclination or the stamina to read them all. Happily, there no longer may be a need.
In today’s Politico Magazine, the talented political observer, Josh Dawsey, offers up a tour of the Christie years, with insights from political combatants, comments from Christie’s closest advisors, and quotes from a sit-down with the governor himself that come as close to candid as a politician might allow. 
As for Dawsey, the writer, here’s what Vanity Fair‘s Chris Popeo has to say:
“In yet another Trump-beat newsroom raid, The Washington Post has hired rising-star White House reporter Josh Dawsey, from Politico. At the Post, he will join a six-person White House team following the recent departure of Abby Phillip for CNN. Politico recruited Dawsey, now 27, from The Wall Street Journal—where he was a well-respected but not terrifically well-known New York City Hall reporter—at the end of last year, moved him to Washington, and turned him loose on the West Wing. Dawsey, an energetic, ink-stained-wretch type with a hint of South Carolina drawl, had a gift for covering the soap opera, but also has notched more substantive scoops on Russia and on various policy developments.“


Save yourself a lot of reading time. Start with Dawsey’s piece on Christie. It’s really that good.
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LaGuardia AirTrain planning gets $55M PANYNJ boost



Dan Rivoli reports for the New York Daily News:

Planning for an AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport got another $55 million Thursday from the Port Authority, in a unanimous vote with no questions asked.
Agency board members approved the money for the Gov. Cuomo-backed project, supplementing the $20 million already allocated, to put an AirTrain between Mets-Willets Point and the airport.
The board heard a brief presentation about the next phase of the planning, but no members had any questions on it before voting.

The money for the new transportation — a modern necessity for supporters of Cuomo’s transformation of the city’s airports, and a potential boondoggle to its critics — would cover technical planning, design work and developing an environmental-impact report.


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Was every local official in NJ in Atlantic City this week?

EnviroPolitics was at the 102nd New Jersey State League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City this week.


All fun and games? No way. Lots of work…learning…and training. Check it out.

Did you attend the League’s convention this past week in Atlantic City? Was it valuable for you and your municipality? What did you learn? Share your opinion below by clicking on the tiny ‘comment’ link below. 

Tomorrow : Vendors pitching equipment, services and policy Water quality rule changes keep NJ testing labs busy

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Grid operator PJM moves to prop up nuclear and coal

PSEG’s coal-fired Mercer Generation Station, which shut down in June because it could not compete against cheaper gas-fueled power plants. (Clem Murray photo for Philly.com)

Andrew Maykuth reports for Philly.com:


Regional grid operator PJM Interconnection on Wednesday proposed to revise its wholesale electricity markets to prop up prices for beleaguered “baseload” generators such as coal and nuclear plants, which are being forced into retirement by low natural-gas prices.

The proposal aims to send stronger price signals to power generators, PJM said, and also to send a political signal to the Trump administration, which in September launched a much-maligned plan to guarantee profits for coal and nuclear plants.

PJM, based in Valley Forge, said its plan was aimed at preserving competitive markets. But it also noted it would increase regional wholesale electricity costs from 2 percent to 5 percent, or as much as $1.4 billion annually for 65 million people in its territory, which encompasses 13 states and the District of Columbia.

The proposal provides an alternative course for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is considering a “grid resiliency” plan announced in September by Energy Secretary Rick Perry to guarantee cost recovery for power generators that have a 90-day fuel supply on site. The only power plants that can effectively meet that criteria are coal and nuclear power plants.


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