RPA thinks ReThink’s Penn Station plan is off track


Influential advocacy group says
scrapping Penn South is a mistake but agrees big fixes are a must

Joe Anuta reports for
Crain’s:
The Regional Plan
Association is pushing back on a Manhattan think tank’s proposal for fixing
Penn Station and improving rail transit throughout the region.

ReThink Studio presented a vision last week to make Penn Station a through stop by modifying the
Gateway tunnel project. By scrapping a $7 billion part of that plan to raze a Manhattan block and add new tracks to the south of the crowded
transit hub, the group argues that money could be freed up to build new rail
stations in Secaucus, N.J.; Sunnyside, Queens; and Port Morris in the Bronx
that would connect the regional commuter lines with relatively minor additions
to existing tracks. That change would open up all sorts of additional transit and economic-development
projects.

RPA, which is set to release its own sweeping vision for the tristate area this
fall, said on Tuesday that nixing Penn Station South would be a mistake.

“We don’t believe … that the existing tracks alone are enough to meet
demand,” RPA head Tom Wright wrote
in a blog post. “Growing service demand can only be
accommodated by increasing the number of tracks and platforms to accommodate
through running service.”
Related news story:
How to fix Penn Station? Build a transit hub in Queens
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NJ lawmakers rip quick sale of State House fix-up bonds

Matt Friedman reports for Politico – NJ

New Jersey sold $300 million in bonds to finance Gov. Chris Christie’s controversial Statehouse renovation on the same day the Economic Development Authority approved it, outraging four state lawmakers who are suing to stop the renovation.

Senators Christopher “Kip” Bateman, Michael Doherty and Raymond Lesniak called out the Christie administration in a press release Wednesday. Doherty and Bateman are Republicans. Lesniak is a Democrat who’s running for governor. 


The Christie administration said in court Wednesday that the state sold the bonds May 11, the same day the EDA authorized the bonding after less than five minutes of questioning from board members.

“In an effort to avoid transparency and accountability, the governor must have set a new record for the speed with which bonds were sold after the NJEDA rubber-stamped his expensive renovation plan,” Doherty said in a statement. “This is a clear sign that the Christie Administration didn’t want to give legislators or the public even a moment to review or challenge this expensive State House renovation.”


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NJ environment bills in Assembly committee tomorrow


ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE
2:00 PM
May 18, 2017
Room 9, 3rd Floor
State House Annex
Trenton, NJ

The following resolution is pending intro & referral: AR-248
(Eustace) Urges U.S. President and Attorney General to oppose merger of Bayer
AG and Monsanto Company.
For consideration:

A-1760  Eustace, T. (D-38)
Provides corporation business tax and gross income tax
credits for value of certain fruit and vegetable donations made by commercial
farm operators.
Related Bill: S-512
      
A-3586  Conaway, H. (D-7); Singleton, T. (D-7)
Establishes procedure for removal of certain abandoned
flood control structures causing property erosion.
     
A-4540  Muoio, E.M. (D-15); Eustace, T. (D-38) 
Requires municipal land use plan element of master plan
to address smart growth, storm resiliency, and environmental sustainability
issues.  Related Bill: S-2873
     
A-4631  Lampitt, P.R. (D-6); Quijano, A. (D-20);
Eustace, T. (D-38); Kennedy, J.J. (D-22); Benson, D.R. (D-14); Muoio, E.M.
(D-15); Zwicker, A. (D-16)
Establishes State food waste reduction goal of 50
percent by 2030.   Related Bill: S-3027
     
A-4701  Eustace, T. (D-38); Zwicker, A. (D-16);
Vainieri Huttle, V. (D-37); Gusciora, R. (D-15); Kennedy, J.J. (D-22)
Requires State’s full participation in Regional
Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  Related Bill: S-3059
      
A-4740  Benson, D.R. (D-14); Eustace, T. (D-38);
DeAngelo, W.P. (D-14); Zwicker, A. (D-16) 
Provides gross income tax credit for costs to purchase
and install smart thermostats.  Related Bill: S-3065
     
A-4794  Eustace, T. (D-38)
Prohibits use of chlorpyrifos insecticide.
      
S-512  Ruiz, M.T. (D-29); Oroho, S.V. (R-24)
Provides corporation business tax and gross income tax
credits for value of certain fruit and vegetable donations made by commercial
farm operators.
Related Bill: A-1760

Legislative monitoring provided by BillTrak

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Subsidies for NJ nukes issue raised at budget hearing

BPU president Mroz favors regional approach to problem, rather than a state-by-state solution


Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:

sponsor nuclear

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee expressed misgivings yesterday about handing out subsidies to help struggling nuclear power plants, an issue that has been quietly percolating in the State House for months.
In a routine budget hearing, Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) raised the topic in questioning New Jersey Board of Public Utilities president Richard Mroz, while noting that a steep drop in natural-gas prices is affecting the viability of coal and nuclear power plants.
The state ought to be concerned about the nuclear plants, Sarlo said, noting they account for 97 percent of the pollution-free electricity generated in New Jersey. New York and Illinois have awarded subsidies to aid fiscally strapped nuclear units there.
“Some states are knocking on the door of the treasurer’s office. Have you had any discussion with the treasury about subsidies for the nuclear industry, which is problematic, I believe?’’ Sarlo asked.
Mroz acknowledged he has discussed the issue with the industry, but denied awareness of any proposal to give out subsidies to nuclear plants.


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Connecticut sues EPA over ozone from York, Pa. plant

The Brunner Island Steam Electric Station in East Manchester Twp., Pa.


Wallace McKelvey reports for PennLive:

Although Brunner Island is 75 miles from the Delaware border and 175 miles from Connecticut, both states argued that its emissions contribute to air pollution within their borders.
On Tuesday, Connecticut’s attorney general sued the EPA for failing to address its complaint that Brunner Island’s pollution was impeding its ability to meet federal Clean Air Act standards. Last year, Delaware filed a similar complaint with the EPA.
At issue are the levels of nitrogen oxide emissions coming from the York Haven plant. Nitrogen oxide reacts with other pollutants in the presence of sunlight to form ozone, a colorless and odorless greenhouse gas known to cause respiratory and other ailments.
“Modeling and analysis have shown that interstate transport of air pollution from Brunner Island, a stationary source which is upwind of Connecticut, contributes significantly to non-attainment of (federal ozone standards),” the Connecticut lawsuit reads.
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Democratic reformer Larry Krasner wins Philly DA primary

Larry Krasner likely to replace disgraced Seth Williams in January

Anna Orso writes for BillyPenn:

In a closely-watched race with national implications, Larry Krasner, the defense attorney who became the darling of the social justice movement, has become a near-lock to become district attorney of Philadelphia.

With about 80 percent of precincts reporting, Krasner, who has represented clients including Occupy Philly and Black Lives Matter, has won the Democratic primary and will represent the party on the November ballot. And in a city with a 7-to-1 Democratic voter registration advantage, the odds are high that come January, he’s going to be the DA.
Since the early days of this race, pundits predicted low turnout. But it actually drew more voters than the election that put now-disgraced District Attorney Seth Williams into office in 2009. Unofficial election results show 108,000 votes were cast with 75 percent of precincts reporting, meaning voter turnout is higher than than the last competitive district attorney’s race in 2009, when 103,000 votes were cast.
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