NJ finally to stop toxic landfill from polluting Passaic River

Retaining walls similar to this one on another Meadowlands
Retaining walls similar to this one on another Meadowlands landfill will be built at the 1D landfill in Kearny.



Scott Fallon reports for The Record:

A 94-acre landfill in the Meadowlands will be walled off to prevent oil, insecticides, sewage sludge and a slew of other toxic waste from leaching into the Passaic River under a $39.4 million project announced Monday by state officials.

Workers will begin preparations this week to build a containment wall around the 1D landfill in Kearny. It will hold the tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater that leaches into the surrounding waterways every day.

When the project is completed in two years, as much as 83,000 gallons of landfill wastewater, called leachate, will be collected daily under a newly built system. It will be sent to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Authority’s plant for treatment. Landfill gases like methane that now discharge to the air will be captured and burned to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

“It will begin with the clearing of trees and shrubs and proceed with construction of a containment wall that will be up to 50 feet deep,” said Mark Pedersen, assistant commissioner for site remediation and waste management at the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The project, one of the largest landfill closures the DEP has ever done, has been a long time coming.



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Arctic climate change scuttles big climate change study

The research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Manitoba
Science Daily reports:
The Science Team of the Canadian Research Icebreaker CCGS Amundsen has cancelled the first leg of the 2017 Expedition due to complications associated with the southward motion of hazardous Arctic sea ice, caused by climate change.
This regrettably postpones the much-anticipated Hudson Bay System Study (BaySys) involving 40 scientists from five universities across Canada. Timing was key for this $17 million, four-year, University of Manitoba-led project.
The need to deal with extreme ice conditions in the south meant the ship would arrive too late on site to meet research objectives.
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U.S. refuses to join G7 countries in climate declaration

Scott Pruitt left the G7 environment meeting after only a few hours. The other six countries reaffirmed their “strong commitment” to implement the Paris Agreement.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt left after 2 hours at the G7 environment summit.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt attended the start of the two-day G7 environment summit in Bologna, Italy, but left after a few hours to return to Washington in what was seen was a snub. Credit: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Georgina Gustin reports for Inside Climate News:
Environment ministers from six of the Group of Seven countries on Monday reaffirmed their countries’ commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Paris climate agreement—but the U.S. refused to join them.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt attended the start of the G7 environment meeting, which was held over two days in Bologna, Italy, but he left after only a few hours to return to Washington for a cabinet meeting. Although he left an acting deputy in his seat, Pruitt’s early exit was seen as a snub.
On Monday, the ministers issued a communiqué, saying that they “reaffirm strong commitment to the swift and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, which remains the global instrument for effectively and urgently tackling climate change and adapting to its effects.” The document also included a lengthy section on what they see as a critical role of the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) in financing efforts to limit rising temperatures and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In a footnote, the U.S. said it would “not join those sections of the communiqué on climate and MDBs, reflecting our recent announcement to withdraw and immediately cease implementation of the Paris Agreement and associated financial commitments.”
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The latest list of gubernatorial nominations in New Jersey

To be considered by the Senate:

ROWAN UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Michael Carbone, of Mullica Hill, to replace Keith Campbell

Fred Graziano, of Bonita Springs, FL, to succeed himself

George S. Loesch, of Mount Laurel, to succeed himself

Virginia R. Smith, of Upper Makefield, PA, to succeed herself

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Stanley M. Ellis, of Riverton, to succeed himself

Referred To Senate Judiciary Committee:

DELAWARE RIVER PORT AUTHORITY:

Daniel Christy, of Sewell, to replace Tamarisk L. Jones

Ercole Frank DiAntonio, of Pedricktown, to succeed himself

Charles Fentress, of West Deptford, to succeed himself

Albert Frattali, of Sewell, to succeed himself

Bruce D. Garganio, of Florence, to replace Denise Mason, resigned

Jeffrey L. Nash, of Cherry Hill, to succeed himself

Richard Sweeney, of Marlton, to succeed himself

Ricardo V. Taylor, of Pennsauken, to succeed himself

FORT MONMOUTH ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION AUTHORITY:

James V. Gorman, of Colts Neck, to succeed himself

LAKE HOPATCONG COMMISSION:

H. Ronald Smith, of Jefferson Township, to replace the Honorable Russell Felter, resigned, for the term prescribed by la

Fred L. Steinbaum, of Hopatcong, to succeed himself

Todd W. Stevens, of Berkeley Heights, to replace Mary Elizabeth Gantert, resigned

NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Anthony R. Slimowicz, of Long Hill Township, to succeed himself

Binay Sugla, of Holmdel, to succeed himself

NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Renard E. Barnes, of West Orange, to replace Mariel O’Brien, resigned

Dennis M. Bone, of Madison, to succeed himself

Peter A. Cistaro, of Boonton, to succeed himself

Robert C. Cohen, of Basking Ridge, to replace Philip Beachem

Gary C. Dahms, of Wall Township, to succeed himself

Vincent De Caprio, of Mountain Lakes, to succeed himself

Stephen DePalma, of Park City, UT, to succeed himself

Elizabeth Garcia, of North Bergen, to succeed herself

Lawrence A. Raia, of Saddle River, to succeed himself

Joseph M. Taylor, of Monroe Township, to succeed himself

Dennis M. Toft, of Berkeley Heights, to replace C. Stephen Cordes, resigned

SOUTH JERSEY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY:

Maurice B. Hill, of Toms River, to succeed himself

C. Robert McDevitt, of Atlantic City, to succeed himself

Christopher M. Milam, of Williamstown, to replace the Honorable Peter C. Elco, resigned, for the term prescribed by law

STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE:

Erick K. Doyle, of Flemington, to succeed himself

Alfred Natali, of East Hanover, to replace Santo Maccherone

Reported From Committee:

ROWAN UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Michael Carbone, of Mullica Hill, to replace Keith Campbell

Fred Graziano, of Bonita Springs, FL, to succeed himself

George S. Loesch, of Mount Laurel, to succeed himself

Virginia R. Smith, of Upper Makefield, PA, to succeed herself

STOCKTON UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

Stanley M. Ellis, of Riverton, to succeed himself

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Nation’s water officials at three-day conference in Philly


Andres Maykuth  reports for the Philadelphia Inquirer:

America’s decrepit infrastructure is a timely topic in Washington these days, though elected officials typically focus on highways. About 11,000 water professionals are gathered in Philadelphia this week to make sure that water and wastewater systems, often invisible beneath the streets, move up on the public agenda.

“We have to continue to figure out how to tell our story,” Carla A. Reid, general manager of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in Laurel, Md., told the annual conference of the American Water Works Association, whose three-day gathering opened Monday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.


“You can hear people saying that we should be providing the water for free and rates shouldn’t go up,” Reid said, eliciting a knowing laugh from the audience during a panel discussion featuring three leaders of water systems that have undergone challenges. “We need to do a better job of selling what we do and why it’s important,”

According to the association, about $1 trillion is needed over the next 25 years to meet demands and to maintain systems that now experience about 240,000 water-main breaks a year and waste more than two trillion gallons of treated drinking water. In its 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nation’s water systems a grade of D.


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Trump’s EPA backs away from tougher standard on smog


Without standard, NJ can’t crack down on cars, trucks, businesses that pump ozone into the atmosphere

Tom Johnson reports
for NJ Spotlight:

New Jersey’s worst air pollution problem may take a bit longer to clean up.

The Environmental Protection Agency decided last week to put a year-long hold on implementing a rule designed to curb ozone-forming pollution from cars, trucks, and businesses.
Backing away from the tougher standard for ground-level ozone, more commonly referred to as smog, means it will be at least another year before New Jersey finds out whether it has achieved the federal health-quality standard for the pollutant.
The state has never achieved the standard in the nearly four-decade history of the federal Clean Air Act. Last year, there were 24 days when New Jersey exceeded the standard; ozone is a pollutant that is unhealthy for kids, the elderly, and those with respiratory diseases.
In a letter to governors, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the delay of the rule, which was adopted by the Obama administration in October 2015. It lowered the standard for ozone in air from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion.
In extending the deadline for determining what areas are failing to attain the new standard, the EPA is giving states more time to develop air-quality plans while providing greater flexibility to states as they develop those plans.
As the agency has since Pruitt took over as administrator, the letter focused on the consequences faced by states designated as “non-attainment,’’ including regulatory burdens, restrictions on infrastructure investment, and increased costs to businesses.
But environmentalists criticized the move — the latest rollback of environmental initiatives since President Donald Trump took office. Previously, the administration scrapped increased fuel standards for cars and a plan to curb carbon pollution from power plants.


Read the full story here


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