NJ enviro groups urge lawmakers to strike budget language diverting large chunk of Exxon settlement


The following is a news release (and letter to New Jersey legislators) from 11 state environmental organizations:

PROPOSED NJ BUDGET RAIDS ENVIRONMENTAL SETTLEMENT MONEY
Environmental Groups Urge Legislature to Strike Budge Language

Trenton, NJ – Dangerous language is again included in Governor Christie’s FY 2017-2018 Budget, currently in front of the New Jersey Legislature, that would divert millions of dollars from environmental restoration protections and communities impacted by pollution.

Within the Christie Administration’s budget proposal, and the budget currently under consideration by the Legislature, no matter how much money the State wins in damages from corporate polluters to restore natural resources, the amount going to restore impacted communities is capped at $50 million.  The State of New Jersey can then direct the remaining money to the General Fund to use for unrelated costs.

“To put this into perspective, Exxon Mobil is required to pay $225 million for damages to the environment in Northern New Jersey. Only $50 million of this sum will be dedicated to investing back into impacted communities with parks, waterfront access and habitat restoration,” said Debbie Mans, Baykeeper & Executive Director, NY/NJ Baykeeper.  “These communities have lived too long with pollution and deserve justice.”

Several environmental and community organizations are urging the Legislative leadership to strike the language completely from the budget bill, rather than amend the existing language.  The groups include: New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Ironbound Community Corporation, New Jersey Audubon, Trust for Public Land, American Littoral Society, ANJEC, Food & Water Watch, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Highlands Council, and NJ Environmental Lobby.  (See attached letter.)

 “It’s Groundhog Day.  If this same compromise language is inserted we know the Governor will use his line item veto power, just as he did the last two years.  In order to truly protect the funds and ensure they go to protect our most vulnerable communities and restore natural resources impacted by polluters, the language must be struck completely from the budget,” said Kelly Mooij, Vice President of Government Relations, New Jersey Audubon.

“It’s outrageous to see the Legislature once again complicit in the Governor’s attempt to rob Natural Resource Damage polluter money from communities throughout New Jersey ravaged by pollution, particularly communities of color which are disproportionately impacted,” exclaimed Ed Potosnak,.

“The Legislature just can’t keep their hands out of the cookie jar, and if this dangerous language remains in the 2018 budget families and business will be shortchanged once again and will never see there environment resorted,” Potosnak added.


“This money belongs in the communities and natural areas that have been harmed” said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director, American Littoral Society.  “This budget raid adds insult to injury. These funds should remain dedicated to their intended use.”

Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature passed legislation, by over 70%, asking voters to constitutionally dedicate Natural Resource Damages to environmental restoration and enhancement and pursuing claims against polluters. If the question is passed it would end the Governor and Legislature’s ability to divert these funds, putting the lockbox in place mid-December this year.  Until it is passed funds could be siphoned off to the General Fund. Voters will be asked the question on Tuesday, November 6th Ballot throughout New Jersey.

***********************************************

TO: Senate President Sweeney, Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, Republican Leader Tom Kean Jr., Deputy Republican Leader Diane Allen, Chairman Paul Sarlo, Speaker Vincent Prieto, Majority Leader Louis Greenwald, Chairman Gary Schaer

cc: Assembly Budget Committee Members cc: Senate Budget Committee Members

We the undersigned write to urge the absolute rejection of any language capping the amount of settlement funds collected for Natural Resources Damages (NRD) or other environmental settlements that can be deposited into the Hazardous Discharge Site Cleanup Fund.

Dangerous language is again included in Governor Christie’s FY 2018 Budget on page D-130 aiming to divert funds away from restoration.i This provision could redirect hundreds of millions of dollars from future environmental settlements into the General Fund instead of restoring the environment. The specific provision of concern states that the first $50,000,000 in natural resource, cost recoveries and other associated damages recovered by the State shall be deposited into the Hazardous Discharge Site Cleanup Fund and are appropriated for: direct and indirect costs of remediation, restoration, and clean up; costs for consulting, expert, and legal services incurred in pursuing claims for damages; and grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to further implement restoration activities of the Office of Natural Resource Restoration (within NJDEP). Recoveries in excess of the amounts appropriated pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited in the General Fund as general State revenue.

The intention of NRD statute is for polluters, in addition to paying for cleanup from pollution, to compensate communities for the loss of the use of the natural resource and to restore those communities impacted by toxic dumping and chemical spills. If this cap provision is once again allowed to remain, nearly all restoration funds would be raided to support the general fund, leaving little money remaining to do important restoration work in and around the polluted site for which the settlement was awarded.

This provision in the FY18 budget directs money away from the restoration of natural resources and compensation, as intended by the original lawsuits and the laws they are being brought under, leaving communities that have been living with this pollution for decades empty handed.

This same language was in Governor Christie’s FY16 and FY17 budgets. Although, the Legislature amended it to require that one-half of any amount over $50 million would also be deposited in the Hazardous Discharge Site Cleanup Fund for FY2016, Governor Christie vetoed this amendment and the language was left unaltered in FY2017.

This language has already had an impact on communities. In September 2014, the Attorney General’s Office announced a $190 million settlement for pollution on the lower Passaic River. Only $50 million of that settlement will be used for natural resource restoration projects in and around Newark, Harrison, Bayonne and Jersey City.ii Projects that could provide open spaces, restored habitats and public access in our underserved communities. The remaining $140 million went into the General Fund.

The potential for more diversions will increasingly disaffect communities already strained with polluted water, diminished air quality, and toxic lands. Making a bad deal even worse, the $225 million ExxonMobil environmental settlement currently sitting in escrow will be subject to the same provision if allowed to remain in the proposed budget leaving families and business in Linden and Bayonne, as well as towns across the state where Exxon has pending environmental settlements, unable to fully restore their lost resources.

As a final point, the legislature has already overwhelmingly approved a ballot question for November that asks voters to constitutionally dedicate NRD funds to environmental purposes and the associated legal and administrative costs. By putting the question on the ballot, the legislature has determined diverting these funds is a big enough problem, that voters should have the opportunity to constitutionally protect NRD monies. By leaving the Governor’s language in the budget, the legislature is giving the administration one last chance to improperly divert funds away from communities before they are able to have their voices heard on this matter.

The language, in its totality, must be removed in order to prevent another executive maneuver by the Governor to divert restoration funds away from the damaged communities. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Ed Potosnak, Executive Director

New Jersey League of Conservation Voters

Debbie Mans, Executive Director 
NY/NJ Baykeeper

Joseph Della Fave, Executive Director 
Ironbound Community Corporation

Kelly Mooij, VP for Government Relations 
New Jersey Audubon

Anthony Cucchi, New Jersey Director 
The Trust for Public Land

Tim Dillingham, Executive Director 
American Littoral Society

Jennifer Coffey, Executive Director

Association of New Jersey Environmental Councils

Michele Byers, Executive Director 
New Jersey Conservation Foundation

Julia Somers, Executive Director 
New Jersey Highlands Coalition

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director 
Food & Water Watch

Noemi de la Puente, Executive Director
NJ Environmental Lobby


i Except as otherwise provided in this act and notwithstanding the provisions of any other law or regulation to the contrary, the first $50,000,000 in natural resource, cost recoveries and other associated damages recovered by the State, along with such additional amounts as may be determined by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting, in consultation with the Attorney General, to be necessary to pay for the costs of legal services related to such recoveries, shall be deposited into the Hazardous Discharge Site Cleanup Fund established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1985, c.247 (C.58:10-23.34), and are appropriated for: direct and indirect costs of remediation, restoration, and clean up; costs for consulting, expert, and legal services incurred in pursuing claims for damages; and grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to further implement restoration activities of the Office of Natural Resource Restoration. Recoveries in excess of the amounts appropriated pursuant to this paragraph, consistent with the terms and conditions of applicable settlement agreements or court rulings, shall be deposited in the General Fund as general State revenue. 


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Philly politico Renee Tartaglione guilty on all charges

Renee Tartaglione – David Maialetti photo for Philly.com

Joseph A. Slobodzian & Julie Shaw report for Philly.com


Philadelphia politico Renee Tartaglione was convicted Friday on all 53 counts of conspiracy, theft, fraud, and tax evasion in a scheme in which prosecutors alleged she fleeced $1 million from a Fairhill mental health clinic of which she was both president and landlord.

A federal jury of six men and six women deliberated for just about four hours before returning its quick verdicts.


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Pa. Auditor General rips Penn State leaders, NCAA

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale

Eugene DePasquale pulled no punches in his press conference Thursday announcing the results of his audit of Penn State.
Pennsylvania’s auditor general had harsh words for the university, former president Rodney Erickson, former FBI director Louis Freeh, Jerry Sandusky and the NCAA.
He unloaded a lot of numbers, a lot of statistics, a lot of data, but he also unleashed a hefty amount of opinion on how the Penn State board structure works and how things have happened since the Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
“I’m gonna get myself in trouble,” he said at one point.
It didn’t stop him.
Read the full story here
Let us know what you think in the comment box below.

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LaRossa leaving PSE&G for new role leading PSEG Power

Eric Strauss reports for NJBIZ:
Ralph LaRossa is leaving his post as president and Public Service Electric & Gas for a new position in the Public Service Enterprise Group family, PSEG announced Friday.
Ralph LaRossa is moving to a role leading PSEG Power.
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LaRossa, who has led the New Jersey’s largest utility for more than a decade, will become the president and COO of PSEG’s merchant generation business, PSEG Power.

In this role, he is replacing Bill Levis, who announced his retirement in December. PSEG Power is an independent power producer that generates and sells electricity in the regional PJM, New York and New England wholesale markets.

“In his career at PSE&G, Ralph has demonstrated the right skills to step into this key leadership role,” PSEG Chairman, CEO and President Ralph Izzo said in a prepared statement. “For the past decade, Ralph has successfully led PSE&G through the largest capital program in its history. During this period, he led the recovery from Superstorm Sandy and maintained a focus on operational reliability and the needs of our customers. Ralph has demonstrated strong leadership and is respected across PSEG and the industry as he assumes this role as PSEG Power.”
Meanwhile, David M. Daly, president and COO of PSEG Long Island, has been chosen to replace LaRossa as president and COO of PSE&G, as well as chairman of PSEG Long Island.

Read the full story

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Philly comptroller wants to kick BigBellys off the curb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The City Controller says those Bigbelly trash compactors around Philadelphia are in a sorry state. And, he claims, they’re not working as advertised. But city officials strongly disagree with his findings.

The Bigbelly Solar compactors created a buzz when first installed in Center City in 2009.
They were supposed to be smarter than those old wire mesh trash receptacles that were always overflowing, and were intended to make our streets cleaner, save money, and improve the environment.
But, Controller Alan Butkovitz is trashing the system.
“While the Bigbellys were promoted as a tool to reduce the collection rate, with their ability to store more trash, there’s been no sufficient documentation to substantiate any financial savings,” Butkovitz said.
img 6866 City Controller Trashes Philadelphia Bigbelly Compactors

(credit: Steve Tawa)

Butkovitz says there’s no viable work order and maintenance tracking system, and the original Bigbellys, many of which he says are disgusting, are reaching their life expectancy.

Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams disputes Butkovitz’s claims that the Streets Department has not done a comprehensive cost benefit analysis.
“We’re saving about $650,000 per year with the decreased collection costs,” said Williams.
Williams says they’ve reduced the frequency of collections from 17 per week at the old litter bins, to 3.5 per week at each Bigbelly.
Read the full story

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A landmark Pa. decision on Environmental Rights

Drilling rig in Pa’s Tioga State Forest – Scott Detrow photo – StateImpact



Susan Phillips reports for StateImpact:

In a landmark environmental decision, a majority of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court justices established a broad interpretation of the Environmental Rights Amendment to the state constitution Tuesday, cementing in place the commonwealth’s role as trustee for public natural resources. The move is a victory for environmental advocates, and a defeat for the state and industrial polluters, who had argued that granting a wider interpretation could deter economic development.
Writing the majority opinion, Justice Christine Donohue said the prior interpretation of the amendment, which included a 3-part legal test and was in place for four decades, “strips the constitution of its meaning.” The opinion clearly defines the role of the state as trustee, which the court said is associated with fiduciary responsibilities.
“The Commonwealth (including the Governor and General Assembly) may not approach our public natural resources as a proprietor, and instead must at all times fulfill its role as a trustee,” wrote Donohue. “Because the legislative enactments at issue here do not reflect that the Commonwealth complied with its constitutional duties, the order of the Commonwealth Court with respect to the constitutionality of 1602-E and 1603-E is reversed, and the order is otherwise vacated in all respects.”
The case brought by the Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation challenged the use of oil and gas lease proceeds for anything other than environmental preservation. Each year the state brings in millions of dollars from leasing state forest land to drillers, which was directed back into environmental conservation programs. In 2009, the legislature and former Governor Ed Rendell allowed some of that money to flow into the general fund. Commonwealth Court in 2015, upheld diverting income from those leases to the general fund.
Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision rejected the Commonwealth’s ruling that employed a more narrow interpretation of Article 1, Section 27 of the state constitution, also referred to as the Environmental Rights Amendment, which was passed by referendum in 1971:
The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.
The decision relies on a 2013 ruling that struck down parts of a major gas drilling law known as Act 13. But in that case, only a plurality of justices agreed with a broad interpretation of the Environmental Rights Amendment. Tuesday’s 4-2 decision is more solid, according to John Dernbach, an environmental law professor at Widener University who filed an amicus brief in the case.
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