Trenton-based Sadat Associates under new ownership

Dr. Lahbib Chibani, P.E.

Sadat Associates was one of the early subscriber to EnviroPolitics.
We are pleased to publish the news of the company’s recent leadership transition and wish all the best to founder Dr. Marwan Sadat, P.E.,
and the company’s new owner,
Dr. Labib Chibani, P.E.
    


Sadat Associates,
Inc. (SAI) is pleased to announce the transfer of ownership of the company from
Dr. Marwan Sadat, P.E., Founder of the firm, to Dr. Lahbib Chibani, P.E.,
President of SAI.  “We worked on this
transition for several months, and I’m happy that everyone involved will
benefit from it,” says Dr. Chibani. 
“I’ve worked with Dr. Chibani for many years, and I have complete
confidence in his judgment and his abilities,” adds Dr. Sadat.  “The company couldn’t have gained a better
leader to keep SAI moving forward.”

SAI was founded in 1986 as an environmental science
consulting and engineering firm.  Located
in Trenton, New Jersey, the firm’s reputation for unique and creative solutions
stemmed from the many years that its founder and key staff served in regulatory
agencies.  By combining regulatory experience with advanced engineering and
environmental science, the firm was able to achieve many accomplishments:

  • Serving over 2100 clients, comprised of state,
    county and local governmental agencies as well as private industry;
  • Spearheading the redevelopment of
    brownfields, including and specializing in landfills; and
  • Pioneering a variety of creative and innovative
    environmental solutions, such as tracing the origin of soil, sediment, water,
    and air contaminants by using radioisotopes.

SAI was integral in redeveloping the former Elizabeth
City municipal landfill into what eventually became The Mills at Jersey
Gardens.  This mall draws shoppers not
only from New York City, but also from around the world.  This was the first successful project in New
Jersey to transform a contaminated landfill and brownfield area into commercial
real estate.
Other notable SAI projects throughout the years include:
  • Redevelopment of the North Wildwood Landfill
    into The Tides at Seaboard Point, a 96-unit residential community
  • Redevelopment of the former GAF factory site in
    South Bound Brook into Canal Crossing residential community· 
  • Closure of six partially closed landfills in the
    Meadowlands 
  • Remediation, closure and redevelopment of the
    former PJP landfill, a USEPA Superfund site, into a thriving warehouse complex
    in Jersey City

Dr. Chibani’s vision for the future of the firm “…is to
stay in the forefront of environmental science and engineering by involving
everyone in the company in creating its future. 
Among others, we will continue providing services related to
environmental balance, whether through renewable energy, greenhouse gas
reduction, ecological restoration, sustainability and storm resiliency, and
redevelopment to promote more efficient land use, and other creative
solutions.”


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Some PA water systems still struggling to reach federal health standards, NRDC report says

Jon Hurdle reports for State Impact:


Some Pennsylvania drinking water systems have levels of contaminants that violate federal health standards, and may cause illnesses ranging from nausea and diarrhea to birth defects and cancer, according to a national report released on Tuesday. The report blames deteriorating infrastructure and lax enforcement by the federal government.

The Pennsylvania data is a subset of the report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, using public data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The NRDC analysis found that 167 Pennsylvania systems serving 691,000 people violated health standards set by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act when data were gathered in 2015.
The Pennsylvania systems that are recorded as having health-based violations had pollutants such as disinfectants, coliforms and nitrates at levels that could damage human health, the report said. Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant in water treatment systems, but when combined with some naturally occurring organic matter, it can create dangerous by-products that can lead to miscarriages and birth defects.
For example, 35 Pennsylvania systems serving more than 445,000 people broke the SDWA health limits on the presence of combined disinfectants and disinfectant by-products, the report said.
The health violations reported by the NRDC are distinguished from administrative errors like failing to report test results, which are listed as violations but do not in themselves indicate problems with water quality.
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Surprise! NJDEP releases long-overdue water supply plan

Jon Hurdle reports for NJ Spotlight:

More than two decades in the making, the state’s Water Supply blueprint finally has been updated to the surprise of many who thought Christie administration would run out the clock on it

water drop

Skeptics said it would have to wait until Gov. Chris Christie leaves office, and politicians said development plans couldn’t be made without it — but 21 years after it was last published, the New Jersey Water Supply Plan has finally been updated.
The long-awaited document, last published in 1996 despite a legal requirement for an update every five years, has been repeatedly demanded by water-supply professionals, political leaders and environmentalists who say it is an essential tool that allows the state to plan for development, make allowance for droughts, and avoid the environmental damage that comes with over-pumping streams.
The blueprint also traditionally looks at water-quality standards, what capital improvements are needed, and whether there should be interconnections between water systems.

Read the full story here


Website for NJDEP Water Management Plan

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NJDEP, state legislature butting heads over Highlands


DEP rule would boost number of septic systems; lawmakers argue that is against original intent of law protecting 800,000-acre preserve

Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight:

highlands

The Legislature and Christie administration are heading in polar-opposite directions on how to manage growth in the New Jersey Highlands, the source of drinking water for at least five million residents.
A Senate committee yesterday approved a resolution that aims to block a new rule — quietly adopted last week by the Department of Environmental Protection — that would open up some of the most sensitive land in the Highlands to development by allowing more septic systems to be deployed.
The rule, signed by DEP Commissioner Bob Martin and expected to be published early next month, is opposed by most of the state’s environmental organizations, who view it as being inconsistent with the 13-year-old law protecting more than 800,000 acres of forests, rolling hills, and waters in the Highlands.
The resolution (SCR-148) also concludes the new rule violates provisions of the original law creating the Highlands, particularly by leading to degradation of water quality in the region. If passed by both houses, it could lead to rescission of the regulation, the latest bid by the administration to weaken the state’s stringent regulations to protect land, air, and water, according to critics.
Read the full story

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EPA removes climate science websites and data

Chris Mooney and Juliet Eilperin report in
The Washington Post:

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday evening that its website would be “undergoing changes” to better represent the new direction the agency is taking, triggering the removal of several agency websites containing detailed climate data and scientific information.

One of the websites that appeared to be gone had been cited to challenge statements made by the EPA’s new administrator, Scott Pruitt. Another provided detailed information on the previous administration’s Clean Power Plan, including fact sheets about greenhouse gas emissions on the state and local levels and how different demographic groups were affected by such emissions.
The changes came less than 24 hours before thousands of protesters were set to march in Washington and around the country in support of political action to push back against the Trump administration’s rollbacks of former president Barack Obama’s climate policies.
“As EPA renews its commitment to human health and clean air, land, and water, our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency,” J.P. Freire, the agency’s associate administrator for public affairs, said in a statement.
“We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we’re protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law.”
The agency also said it would carefully archive pages from the past administration.
The change was approved by Pruitt, according to an individual familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, to avoid a conflict between the site’s content and the policies the administration is now pursuing.
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What’s your take on this action by the EPA?
A justified, ‘re-balancing’ based on science?
A sellout to the oil industry and other fossil fuel friends?
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Trump order could lead to drilling off NJ coast

The Associated Press reports:

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday that would open the Atlantic and Arctic oceans for drilling.
 Earlier in the week the move drew bipartisan fire from lawmakers in coastal states.
The order would allow Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to revisit a plan signed by former President Barack Obama that put those oceans off limits to drilling for another five years. The order also would lift a permanent ban on some drilling in those oceans, a rule Obama signed in December.
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